“Fifa says that with its delegation, it aims to send a message of “”hope”” to the Syrian people. But for Fadel Abdul Ghany, the chairman and founder of the SNHR, that would be better served by the governing body meeting the families of detained footballers.
“Fifa could put pressure on the Syrian authorities to release the detained footballers and prevent the arrest of athletes because of their political orientation,” he told MEE. “Syrian security controls footballers, and only allows Assad loyalists to be among the sports teams.”
The joint delegation will be the first in Syria since 2012. The national team still competes in international matches but is unable to host home games.
Critics view a reversal of the ban as an attempt by Assad’s government to rehabilitate itself following years of isolation and sanctions.
“This is an incredibly problematic move on the part of Fifa as it basically sends a message, loud and clear, that it deems Syria safe enough, a notion that continues to be disproved with every indiscriminate attack and every new case of arrest and enforced disappearance,” Hiba Zayadin, a senior researcher on Syria at Human Rights Watch (HRW), told MEE. “
