SPAIN’s far-right party Vox will back a bid to have Morocco removed as a co-host of the 2030 World Cup as tensions continue to escalate over the Ceuta migrant crisis.
Both Vox and left-wing party Sumar tabled separate proposals last week calling on the Spanish government to review Morocco’s participation in the event, which is due to be jointly organised by Spain, Portugal and the North African country.
Sources from Vox have now told Spanish newspaper El Pais that the hard-right group will support Sumar’s motion when it is voted on in parliament.
The twin proposals, which mark an extremely rare bipartisan agreement in Spanish politics, come after around 72,000 migrants illegally crossed into the Spanish exclave of Ceuta from Morocco on July 30.
The incident stirred unrest across Spain’s political spectrum, with dozens of politicians accusing Morocco of ‘using human lives for political purposes’ and ‘disregarding human rights’.
Spanish intelligence sources cited by El Pais have ruled out the possibility that the crisis was the result of a carefully planned operation by Rabat.
However, the same sources believe Morocco deliberately allowed the incident to happen before exploiting the ensuing chaos for political gain.
In its motion to the Spanish government, filed on August 6, Vox wrote: “The extremely serious events in Ceuta on July 30 and 31 have completely shattered the trust and cooperation that any joint bid necessarily depends on.”
“Morocco is not a loyal partner, either for organising a sporting event of this scale or for any other matter concerning relations between neighbouring countries,” it added.
The sentiment appeared to echo that of Sumar’s motion, which was submitted one day earlier.
Sumar, the main coalition partner of Sanchez’s socialist PSOE, said in its statement: “As long as such serious doubts remain over the political use of human lives, [Morocco should not be allowed to] gain the prestige, economic benefits and international legitimacy that come with hosting a World Cup.”
The remarks are also similar to those of far-left Podemos secretary of organisation Pablo Fernandez, who said in a post on X: “Spain should not host the World Cup with a dictatorship like Morocco that does not respect human rights and is responsible for the deaths of more than 140 people in an operation against Spain.”
He added the tournament should be hosted ‘with Portugal alone.’
Prime minister Pedro Sanchez previously slammed the mass crossing as a ‘violation of Spain’s territorial integrity,’ and said it deserved Spain’s strongest possible condemnation.
However, interior minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska later praised what he called the ‘exemplary collaboration’ of Morocco and its security forces in preventing thousands of attempted crossings during the crisis.
Sumar’s parliamentary motion, now set to be backed by both Vox and Podemos, is not a new law and is not legally binding.
Rather, it is a call on the government to consider Morocco’s role as a co-host of the 2030 World Cup and, in turn, urge football bosses at Fifa to remove it as a co-host.
The motion will be debated and put to a vote in parliament, with a simple majority of those voting needed for it to pass.
Even if approved, it would not automatically result in Morocco’s removal – it would simply urge ministers to act.
The final decision would have to be made by World Cup organiser Fifa, which already awarded the 2030 World Cup hosting rights to Morocco, Portugal and Spain in December 2024.
According to The Times, Fifa president Gianni Infantino promised Morocco it would host the 2030 final in return for its support in the organisation’s presidential elections.
Asked to comment on the allegation, Spain’s sports minister Milagros Tolon told broadcaster Cadena Ser: “We want the final to be held in Spain because we deserve it.”
Morocco has already poured around €465 million into the construction of a new stadium near Casablanca.
With a capacity of around 115,000, the Hassan II Stadium is set to become the world’s largest when it is completed in 2028.
Last year, Infantino opened a new Fifa African office in Morocco’s capital Rabat.
As he faced criticism over a series of corruption scandals last week, the president holed up in Rabat and summoned his key staff there for an emergency meeting on Wednesday.
Infantino has also chosen Rabat as the venue for next year’s Fifa Congress, where he was hoping to be elected unopposed for a fourth term.
Despite the Fifa boss’s growing ties with Morocco, a spokesperson denied claims the final would be held in Rabat, saying: “It is false and misleading to claim the FIFA president has made any promises in relation to hosting the World Cup 2030 final.
“A decision will be made by FIFA in due course.”
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