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Anger over Morocco’s suspected role in the recent surge of migrants into Spain’s Ceuta has brought the country’s far-left and far-right political forces together in opposing Morocco’s role as a co-host of the 2030 World Cup alongside Spain and Portugal.
Despite their ideological differences, the far-left Sumar party and far-right Vox have both formally called for major changes to the tournament’s hosting arrangements.
Sumar, which is part of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s coalition government, argued in a proposal submitted to parliament on Wednesday that Morocco should not be allowed to gain the “prestige, economic benefits, and international legitimacy” of hosting a World Cup while questions remain over its alleged role in last week’s migrant crisis.
Less than 24 hours later, Vox submitted a nearly identical motion questioning the decision to host the tournament with Morocco, describing Rabat as an unreliable partner for both the World Cup and broader relations with Spain.
“The very serious events that took place in Ceuta on July 30 and 31 have completely shattered the foundations of trust and cooperation on which a shared candidacy necessarily rests,” Vox said in its proposal. It described co-hosting the tournament with Morocco as “a deliberate humiliation that Spain must vehemently oppose.”
The proposals are non-binding and do not require the Spanish government to take action. However, they highlight growing opposition to Morocco across Spain’s political spectrum over its perceived role in the migration crisis.
Many in Madrid have accused Morocco of using migration as a means of applying political pressure on Spain, although the Socialist-led Spanish government has refrained from directly blaming Rabat and has sought a swift resolution to the dispute.
Spain’s Podemos and Portugal’s environmentalist Livre party have also called for Spain and Portugal to host the 2030 World Cup without Morocco.
FIFA awarded the 2030 World Cup to Spain, Portugal and Morocco in 2023. Matches are scheduled to be played at venues including Madrid’s Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, Lisbon’s Estádio da Luz and a planned new stadium in Casablanca, which Moroccan authorities say will be the world’s largest football stadium.
The tournament’s hosting arrangements also came under fresh scrutiny on Wednesday after The Times reported that FIFA President Gianni Infantino had allegedly offered Morocco the right to host the World Cup final in return for support from the country’s football federation.
FIFA rejected the report, saying Infantino had made no such commitment.