EASA’s SRO member CSL upholds complaints against FIFA

13 June 2023

Five European SROs have transferred complaints to the Swiss Commission for Fairness (CSL/SLK) about FIFA’s claims of carbon neutrality for the 2022 World Cup. The CSL has recently upheld these complaints after a challenging and intricate process. Complainants from Belgium, France, Switzerland, the Netherlands, and the UK have accused FIFA of making misleading statements in their communications about the World Cup’s carbon neutrality. Following a complex evaluation, the Second Chamber of the CSL has supported all five complaints.

As a result, the CSL has advised FIFA to refrain from making unverified claims in the future, particularly regarding the assertion that the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar was climate- or carbon-neutral. At the time of communication, such claims could only be made if FIFA could fully substantiate the calculation of all CO2 emissions caused by the tournament using widely accepted methods and provide evidence of complete carbon offsetting.

This landmark decision represent a key step for independent advertising self-regulation in Europe and for our member CSL. This significant decision was also made possible thanks to the Cross-Border Complaints (CBC) system implemented by EASA, which provides a complainant with the same redress as if the advertisement originated from their own country.

EASA’s Cross-Border Complaints system has been in operation since 1992 and was set up in response to the forthcoming European Single Market and the need to address complaints and issues arising from advertising circulating across EU Member States. Read more here.