Sharon Osbourne has joined the IAWPC this Christmas, and supported the campaign by condemning the killing of Morocco’s free-roaming dogs.
The television personality and lifelong animal lover has thrown her support behind the International Animal Welfare Protection Coalition (IAWPC), condemning the mass slaughter of free-roaming dogs which has intensified in the run-up to major international sporting events.
In a powerful intervention, Osbourne issued a stark warning to Moroccan authorities and football’s global governing bodies, saying:
“I am shocked and furious at what is happening to dogs in Morocco in the run-up to the 2030 World Cup. The mass killing of defenseless animals to ‘clean up’ for a sporting event is barbaric.
“These dogs are not a problem to be erased; they deserve compassion and protection. I am proud to stand with the International Animal Welfare Protection Coalition in demanding an immediate end to the slaughter. I would like the people of Morocco to remember that the world is watching.”
The intervention comes days after ‘Baby Sid’ the grandson of Osbourne and son of daughter Kelly and her husband Slipknot DJ Sid Wilson appeared as a mascot at the Villa Park football ground in Birmingham, where Ozzy’s final show was held this summer.
Osbourne is part of a growing movement of animal welfare advocates in condemning this massacre. They include the late Jane Goodall, Ricky Gervais, Peter Egan, Chris Packham and Dominic Dyer.
Campaigners say Osbourne’s words come at a critical moment. The IAWPC, a coalition of around 80 animal welfare organisations worldwide, including the RSPCA, Dogs Trust and Peta, has documented a sharp rise in dog killings around tournament host cities, Tangier, Rabat, Casablanca, Marrakech, Agadir and Fes, linked to the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), which kicked off on December 21.
Reports from the ground describe dogs being shot, poisoned and forcibly removed from streets and villages, never to be seen again. Campaigners warn that children are bearing witness to the violence and are being left traumatised.
Animal welfare groups fear AFCON has become a grim “test run” ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2030, with similar patterns seen before previous global sporting events.
Footage and eyewitness accounts shared with the IAWPC show dog catchers operating at night, overcrowded pounds and the disappearance of community dogs that had lived peacefully alongside residents for years, including disabled dogs.
Les Ward MBE, chairman of the IAWPC, thanked Osbourne for using her platform at such a personal and emotional time.
“Sharon’s support means an enormous amount to this campaign,” he said. “At a time when she could understandably step back from public life, she has chosen instead to speak up for animals who have no voice. The killings we are witnessing around AFCON are deeply alarming and reinforce our fears about what lies ahead as Morocco prepares for the World Cup.”
Ward warned that without urgent intervention, the situation would only worsen.
“This is not humane population management. It is systematic mass killing, driven by image management for international tournaments,” he said. “We are talking about millions of dogs, sentient beings, being wiped out to create a false impression of ‘clean’ host cities.”
In response, the IAWPC has been working on a long-term, humane alternative. The coalition has engaged FIFA and formed an international expert panel of veterinarians, legal specialists and animal welfare professionals to help redraft Morocco’s proposed Draft Law 19.25, which was hastily drafted in July 2025, transforming it into a modern animal welfare law aligned with international standards.
The revised draft focuses on humane Catch-Neuter-Vaccinate-Return (CNVR) programmes, disease control, community engagement and education, measures endorsed by the World Organisation for Animal Health as the only effective way to manage free-roaming dog populations sustainably. The World Health Organisation does not support the culling of animals as a method of rabies control.
The redrafted law has now been submitted to Moroccan authorities after being formally passed on by FIFA, and the IAWPC says it is awaiting the outcome.
The IAWPC and FIFA are also in the very early stages of discussions around a FIFA-sponsored humane education and CNVR programme across the six 2030 World Cup stadium sites. While nothing has yet been confirmed, the IAWPC has welcomed FIFA’s positive expression of interest and says it is keen to work together on what could become a groundbreaking international project.
“This is the moment for Morocco to choose compassion over cruelty,” Ward added. “With global eyes on the country, the World Cup should be an opportunity to showcase humane leadership, not a legacy of bloodshed.”
To find out more about the IAWPC, visit www.iawpc.org.
