WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Senator Rick Scott sent a letter to Sunil Gulati, the United States representative to the FIFA Council, urging him to vote against Communist China as the host of the 2021 Club World Cup.

Read the letter HERE or below.

October 23, 2019

Mr. Sunil Gulati
FIFA Council
Vice-President CONCACAF
161 NW 6th Street, Suite #1100
Miami, FL 33136

Dear Mr. Gulati,

On October 25^th, the FIFA Council will decide whether Shanghai will be the host city of the 2021 Club World Cup. I write to you with grave concern about the upcoming decision. We must consider the implications of allowing a Communist regime to host a global sporting event that attracts athletes and spectators from all across the world, and boosts the host nation’s economy. 

I urge you, as the United States representative to the FIFA Council, to vote against allowing Communist China to be the host of the 2021 Club World Cup.

Time after time, Communist China has made and broken its promises. Communist China is stealing our technology and refuses to open their markets to foreign goods as required by their agreement to be part of the WTO. They are militarizing the South China Sea, even after they promised President Obama they would not. They continue to attack religious freedom by detaining more than one million Uyghurs, a Muslim ethnic minority group in Communist China, in internment and re-education camps, and have not lived up to the agreement to give Hong Kong autonomy and freedom.

I recently traveled to Hong Kong and met with many courageous individuals fighting for their basic freedoms that Communist China promised during the handover. As they continue to fight for democracy, the Communist regime in China has turned Hong Kong into a police state as a way to force their citizens into compliance with Beijing’s rule of law.

The Communist regime does not respect human rights and it should not benefit from any funds resulting from the tournament. The FIFA Council has a unique opportunity to take a stand and put human rights above profits.

There are countless locations in freedom-loving countries across the world that would be more suitable to host the 2021 Club World Cup. Florida, for example, is well equipped to host this type of event. I urge you to reject Shanghai and Communist China as the host of the 2021 Club World Cup.

Sincerely,

Rick Scott
United States Senator

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