Protesters gathered in force outside the Vancouver Convention Centre on Thursday morning, as a coalition of international animal welfare groups staged a high-impact demonstration during the 76th FIFA Congress, demanding urgent action to stop the mass killing of dogs in Morocco ahead of the 2030 FIFA World Cup.
Hundreds of campaigners assembled from 8am outside the high-profile global football summit with banners, placards and coordinated messaging aimed squarely at football’s governing body. The protest, timed to coincide with the arrival of delegates, brought together organisations including the 83 that make up the International Animal Welfare Protection Coalition, Animal Save Movement, In Defense of Animals, SPCA International, Stray Dog Support and Lady Freethinker.
At the centre of the demonstration was a video van showing stark footage which campaigners say exposes the scale and brutality of dog culling operations in Morocco. The moving images, described by organisers as “impossible to ignore”, played out close to the Congress venue, creating a dramatic visual backdrop for broadcasters and photographers covering the event.
The protest forms part of a growing international campaign led by the IAWPC, which is calling for humane, science-based alternatives to dog population control, including Catch-Neuter-Vaccinate-Return programmes.
The Coalition says that ever since Morocco was selected unanimously by all 211 FIFA Associations in December 2024, to co-host the 2030 World Cup, ignoring all warnings from the IAWPC, large-scale killing operations have intensified, relentlessly and mercilessly. FIFA through their vote, has deliberately brought a violent and cruel nightmare directly inside the world of football, tarnished the images of co-host’s Spain and Portugal and for this, they should be ashamed and made to rectify asap. As long as they do nothing, the chances are real that some 3-million dogs will lose their lives before a ball has even been kicked in the 2030 World Cup!!
Les Ward MBE, chairman of the IAWPC, said the demonstration was designed to force the issue onto FIFA’s global agenda.
“We are standing outside FIFA’s global gathering to shine the public spotlight on an inhumane, unfolding, violent and deteriorating animal welfare crisis in Morocco,” he said. “Evidence gathered daily, points beyond doubt, to the large-scale and often brutal mass killing of free-roaming and owned dogs and we will not stand idly by, as Morocco would like and allow this to continue unchallenged.
“FIFA has both the influence and the responsibility to ensure that preparations for the 2030 World Cup do not come at the cost of immense animal suffering. They make this clear through their currently hollow statements and commitments, in relation to the 2030 and 2034 World Cup’s. Humane solutions exist and they must be implemented as a matter of urgency.”
Photographs from the scene show crowds of demonstrators packed along the approach to the congress venue, many holding graphic imagery and slogans calling for an end to the killings. Others gathered around the video van as footage played on a loop, while campaign representatives gave interviews to international media.
Organisers said the turnout reflected mounting global concern over animal welfare standards linked to major sporting events, and warned that pressure on FIFA would continue to intensify unless action is taken.
Find out more about the campaign at www.iawpc.org
