Swiss Regulator Finds Against FIFA On World Cup Carbon Neutrality Claims

On June 7, 2023, the Swiss advertising regulator, Schweizerische Lauterkeitskommission (SLK), upheld complaints that the International Federation of Football Association (FIFA) made false statements about the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar when describing it as climate- or carbon-neutral. The SLK determined that FIFA was unable to provide evidence as to the accuracy of the statements and advised the association to refrain from making such unsubstantiated, absolute claims in the future.

The SLK commenced its investigation after advertising regulators in four European countries – France, Belgium, the UK and the Netherlands – passed on complaints challenging FIFA's claims to their Swiss counterpart, where FIFA is based. The SLK considered the statements made by FIFA in the context of Swiss standards for advertising carbon neutrality and emphasized that factual claims must be accurate and not misleading. The regulator also highlighted the importance of strict standards