Hammersmith music legend Gary Numan joins fight to end slaughter of 3million dogs in Morocco

The Cars hitmaker and electronic music pioneer, who is a passionate dog lover and animal welfare advocate, added his voice to the campaign which is calling on FIFA to put stipulations ending the massacre into their acceptance of Morocco's World Cup Bid.

Ahead of the 2030 World Cup, which is being voted on this Wednesday (December 11) Morocco is slaughtering millions of street dogs in and around host cities, and children are regularly witnessing the public slaughter of both strays and their own tagged pets.

The dogs are either beaten, shot or poisoned with strychnine in full view of members of the public, before being loaded onto open trucks and driven to disposal facilities outside the cities.

Gary Numan said: “Dogs are loyal and loving, and this is a human made problem, which is being dealt with in a way which dishonours not only these beautiful animals, but the people of Morocco.

“To make matters worse this is all in the name of football. Anyone who has ever thrown a ball for their own dog and anyone with a heart will understand how disgusting this is.

“Please join me in signing the petition to call for the government of Morocco to urgently think again on this cruelty. And to call for FIFA to stipulate that if there is no humane treatment of animals there will be no World Cup for Morocco.”

The IAWPC (International Animal Welfare Protection Coalition) argues that FIFA should protect children from witnessing the horror, and save the lives of the dogs, by putting stipulations on dog population control methods in their acceptance of Morocco’s bid.

Foremost, would be the immediate end to the inhumane and ineffective killing of street and owned dogs and the introduction of humane effective management measures like catch, neuter, vaccinate and release (CNVR).

In FIFA's Bid Evaluation Report the football government body stated that Morocco's government had banned the culling of animals in the country in August this year. However, the IAWPC, which is a group of respected global animal charities including RSPCA and Dogs Trust, has verified footage to prove this is not the case.

Les Ward, the Chairman of the IAWPC said: @This statement from the Government is nonsense – or put another way, (either?) a fabrication of reality/or the government are fabricating the truth!"

To sign the petition go to www.iawpc.org