Thousands of dogs have reportedly been killed in Morocco, which is set to co-host the 2030 World Cup. Six Moroccan cities will host World Cup matches, and the tournament is scheduled to take place over six weeks in the summer of 2030.
Morocco will join Spain and Portugal in hosting the World Cup in 2023, with FIFA recognizing the host country in December last year. The African country will host the inaugural 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, which is scheduled to begin just before Christmas this year.
Ahead of these tournaments, the Telegraph reported that dogs were being killed in Morocco. There are an estimated 3 million stray dogs in the country, and they are said to pose a threat to public health and safety.
Accusations against Morocco by animal rights groups suggest the country is trying to “cleanse” its streets ahead of the World Cup by killing hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of stray dogs.
The aforementioned publication witnessed footage of an execution that was “shocking” due to its “brutality” and “efficiency.”
They also reportedly saw images of bloody dog carcasses stacked on top of each other, a video of a man using metal shears to grab a dog by the throat, and footage of a puppy being kicked to death.
One Moroccan mother, Latifa, told the Telegraph:
“That’s what my daughter saw. It was a peaceful dog that lived down our street. What my daughter saw was her own body, riddled with bullet holes. Her puppies were still trying to drink milk.”
A spokesperson for the International Union for Animal Welfare and Protection (IAWPC) said: “The situation has gotten even worse since Morocco co-hosted the World Cup, and now with AFCON coming up, it’s spiraling out of control.”
The Moroccan government, on the other hand, does not support culling, saying that managing stray animals is the responsibility of local authorities.
But earlier this year, a court ruling in Rabat established the state’s responsibility for the deaths, as it is the overarching supervisory authority.
The Moroccan embassy in London said in a statement that it “categorically denies” claims that the country intends to kill stray dogs before the World Cup, but insisted that Morocco has a “demonstrated commitment to humane and sustainable animal management.”
The embassy also explained that dog shelters will be available in five more cities by the end of 2025, and safe behavior towards stray dogs will be promoted through regular awareness campaigns.
The embassy also pointed to new legislation to protect animal rights and “restrict euthanasia to a last resort.”
This bill is currently being debated in Congress. However, the bill imposes fines on citizens who feed or care for stray animals, and has been criticized by campaigners as “criminalizing compassion.”
During this summer’s Club World Cup, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) protested over pitch invasions. And it was one of the organizations that urged FIFA to intervene.
Ahead of the World Cup, FIFA claimed that Morocco had “outlined its commitment to the protection of animal rights”.
A FIFA spokesperson said: “The tender process has been completed and FIFA is working with local stakeholders to ensure that commitments are kept.”
“In particular, FIFA has contacted the Moroccan Football Federation to alert them to this issue and received confirmation that a number of measures have been implemented over the past five years and new legislation is being drafted to deal with the current situation with a balanced approach that meets the needs of public health and safety, as well as animal welfare.”
