SoFi Stadium workers' union complains about FIFA to California attorney general

Source: The Athletic

By Adam Crafton
May 8, 2026 6:00 am CDT

A complaint has been filed to the attorney general of California alleging that the data sharing in FIFA’s accreditation process for workers at SoFi Stadium represents a “serious intrusion” into the right to privacy and violates worker rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act.

The complaint was filed this week by the UNITE HERE Local 11, a union that represents around 2,000 SoFi Stadium workers, largely working in food and beverage concessions, including cooks, servers and bartenders. The complaint, seen by The Athletic, was accompanied by a letter addressed to California attorney general Rob Bonta. It was co-signed by UNITE HERE, the American Civil Liberties Union of South California (ACLU) and the Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy.

The letter alleges FIFA’s sharing of sensitive private information with local, regional and federal government authorities for the purpose of background checks on workers has the potential to put employees at risk of being targeted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

This complaint is the latest episode in the ongoing battle between the UNITE HERE union and FIFA in the lead-up to the World Cup. The Athletic last month reported on how the same union is threatening to lead a strike of workers at SoFi Stadium, which is the home venue of the NFL’s Los Angeles Chargers and Rams, and the site of eight World Cup matches.


SoFi Stadium workers protest outside a FIFA World Cup office in Los Angeles on May 1 Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images

Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7261918/2026/05/08/sofi-union-workers-union-complaint-fifa/