This letter has been posted to President Trump today, appealing for his support to pressure Fifa and Morocco on the mass killing of dogs before the World Cup 2030…
Les Ward MBE
Chairman
International Animal Welfare Protection Coalition (IAWPC)
President Donald J. Trump
45th President of the United States of America
Dear President Trump,
I am writing to you as Chairman of the International Animal Welfare Protection Coalition (IAWPC), a global alliance of more than 80 animal welfare organisations working collaboratively to end the mass killing of free-roaming and owned dogs by co-host Morocco which is inextricably linked to preparations for the FIFA World Cup 2030.
Mr President, your standing within world football has been recognised. As an inaugural FIFA Peace Prize holder and with the United States preparing to host the 2026 World Cup, widely expected to be the biggest, most successful and most influential tournament in history, your voice carries extraordinary weight within FIFA and across the global football community.
In preparation for the 2026 World Cup in North America, Mexico and Canada, FIFA has formally committed to strong environmental and animal welfare standards, including the important Objective EN6: to protect and promote biodiversity and to protect the rights of animals affected by the tournament.
This key objective includes supporting host cities to raise awareness of the protection of fauna and flora, and ensuring that all tournament stakeholders emphasise and consider the appropriate and humane handling of animals impacted by World Cup preparations.
What is happening in Morocco stands in stark contrast to these principles and risks undermining the global standard that international sport now seeks to uphold.
The mass killing of free-roaming dogs not only causes immense and unnecessary suffering, but directly contradicts internationally recognised best practice, namely Catch-Neuter-Vaccinate-Return programmes, which are proven to humanely reduce dog populations over time, create herd immunity against rabies, and protect both public health and animal welfare.
Leadership is urgently needed to ensure that these established standards are applied consistently, before irreversible harm is done. You are held in high regard by FIFA and by those who shape its direction.
We are reaching out to you, because we believe that a few carefully chosen words from you could achieve what years of evidence, expert testimony and diplomatic engagement have not.
Despite repeated assurances from the Moroccan authorities that the killing of dogs had ceased, the IAWPC receives daily, harrowing and authoritative evidence from those on the ground.
Dogs are being poisoned, shot, beaten and removed en masse from streets and villages, often in front of children, under the guise of “street cleansing” linked to preparations for international sporting events, including the FIFA World Cup.
Children who witness this violence are being traumatised by what they see, many for life. Moroccans who try to intervene and stop the killings, mostly women, are being assaulted and threatened with rape!
The actions against the animals are light-years away from humane population management. They are instead, the unnecessary, merciless and deliberate mass removal and slaughter of defenceless animals. The number of dogs likely to be killed is in the region of 3-million.
FIFA, as tournament organiser, has the power to stop the killing and insist that only humane, ethical management programmes are used, including internationally recognised Catch-Neuter-Vaccinate-Return programmes which are used in many countries with large free-roaming dog populations throughout the world.
Regrettably, meaningful pressure has not yet been applied by FIFA. We firmly believe that your intervention could change that. Your words would make the Moroccan authorities and FIFA sit up and listen in a way no other voice can. A public call from you, or even private diplomatic pressure, urging FIFA to demand humane compliance from Morocco could immediately halt the killing and save countless lives.
Mr President, as you know, history often turns on moments when influential leaders such as yourself choose to speak out for those without a voice. In this case, just a few words from you could mean life instead of death for millions of vulnerable animals who cannot protect themselves.
We respectfully urge you to use your unique powerful standing, influence and moral authority to press FIFA and the Moroccan authorities to end the slaughter and adopt humane, science-led solutions, solutions that align with the values of modern world sport and the expectations of the global community.
We would be deeply grateful for your consideration, and we stand ready to provide any further information or evidence you may require.
Yours sincerely,
Les Ward MBE
Chairman
International Animal Welfare Protection Coalition (IAWPC)
