The new DFB Human Rights Policy – A commentary with statements from the German Parliament
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Written by Anton Klischewski, founder of Project PRESFUL.
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On April 23, the Presidential Board of the German Football Association (DFB) adopted the DFB Human Rights Policy and the „DFB Position on the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar”. After FIFA’s human rights commitment in 2017, it is only the second sporting organization that takes a step to formally comply with all internationally recognised human rights in alignment with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs). This article shortly outlines the implications of the policy commitment and includes statements by three Parliament Members of the German Bundestag Sports Committee who kindly responded to PRESFUL’s request for comment.
A step in the right direction
After the DFB had already involved broad stakeholder consultation and included the respect for all internationally recognised human rights in Article 2 of the DFB statutes at its Congress in September 2019, the adoption of a human rights policy was the logical next step.
„The DFB’s new human rights policy is a step in the right direction. The reference to the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights is important and can serve as a model for other sports federations. All national and international sports federations should adopt and implement a human rights strategy based on the UN Guiding Principles. Paper, however, is patient. Now it is important that the DFB also implements the human rights policy in all its actions, especially by using its influence in international bodies in this sense.“
A political document
Apart from the UNGPs, the document acknowledges the National Action Plan for Business and Human Rights (NAP) for which there is currently no legal obligation to implement in Germany, although a check-up has been made for corporations with more than 500 employees. With a little more than 200 employees, the DFB has by far not reached this threshold. Nonetheless, more than seven million members, around 25,000 clubs and 157,000 teams draw a different picture of responsibility.
This is why the policy quotes: “In view of the fundamental contribution to football in Germany made every day by thousands of volunteers, the DFB is particularly committed to raising awareness of the principles contained in this policy among volunteers at all levels.” As it is only a policy statement, the document lacks concrete solutions or approaches by its very nature. It must be followed by a holistic due diligence process in order to implement the related processes in all future actions of the organization and should assure mechanisms and procedures in case of contraventions.
„The DFB’s human rights policy and the associated integration of internationally recognized human rights in the DFB’s statutes is initially a positive step. (…) When the DFB expresses the view that „the World Cup can contribute as a motor to a positive development in Qatar“, it expresses an optimism for which I can see no basis. It is naïve to accept human rights violations in Qatar and hope that the World Cup will bring about improvements on its own. Rather, the major event is an economic factor that supports the system in Qatar. It would have been possible to contribute to a positive development in this country by attaching clear conditions to the awarding of the World Cup. Their implementation should have been strictly monitored and immediate consequences drawn in the event of violations.“
Position on Qatar 2022
In conjunction with the release of the new human rights policy, especially the „DFB Position on the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar” heightened some media interest. After the players of the German football national team showed support for human rights in several international matches in March of this year, the federation followed up by the given position paper concerning the controversial World Cup host Qatar. PRESFUL already discussed the human rights situation in Qatar in a recent interview with Professor Simon Chadwick. The DFB is convinced of an ongoing process of dialogue rather than subjecting it to a boycott and “that sport can build bridges across political, religious and cultural boundaries and lay foundations for improvement.“
„In principle, I welcome the position paper of the German Football Association (DFB) on the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. (…) DIE LINKE stands without ifs and buts for the protection of human rights as defined and decided by the United Nations and also enshrined in the national law of almost all states of this world. This applies to all areas of social life, to economic cooperation, to the working conditions of the people involved in the construction of new stadiums, and equally to sport itself. We are for the strengthening of democratic structures, for the freedom of independent media reporting, for compliance with social as well as ecological standards. And we resolutely oppose racism, anti-Semitism and any discrimination based on sexual orientation and other misanthropic views.“
Start acting
To conclude, and as Dr. André Hahn stated in his comment to PRESFUL, “doubts remain as to what extent the words of the DFB have practical follow-up and visibility.” He was definitely not wrong, considering the newest fiasco of president Keller: The same person who claims that “human rights are non-negotiable and universally valid” now had to apologize for comparing DFB vice president Rainer Koch to Nazi judge Roland Freisler and currently fears to loose his job. This incident happened during the last meeting of the DFB executive committee on April 23 – the SAME day the human rights policy was adopted! The moral of the story? It takes two to tango.
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