![]() ![]() ![]() Many of them continue to face wage theft or unpaid salaries. “Migrant workers are still struggling to change jobs. “The practice in itself has not changed,” she tells SportsPro. However, a new 48-page report published this week by Amnesty claims that ‘progress has stagnated’ over the last 12 months and that ‘the worst elements of kafala’ have resurfaced.Īccording to May Romanos, Amnesty International’s Gulf researcher, the implementation of the new laws has been “very weak”. Legal reform has arrived in recent years which, on paper, allows workers to leave Qatar or change jobs without permission. According to a report by The Guardian in February, at least 6,500 migrant workers from India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka have died since Qatar was appointed host. Of those Amnesty spoke to working on Khalifa Stadium, their average monthly salary came to US$220. Another worker named Prem described his ordeal as “torture”, saying his family was homeless and two of his children had been taken out of school. Accusations of staff being deceived over working conditions and pay, as well as threats, expensive recruitment fees and forced labour, have been prevalent.ĭeepak, a metal worker at the Khalifa Stadium, one of eight venues being used for the tournament, told Amnesty his life in Qatar was “like a prison”. ![]() Amnesty has drawn attention to the deeply resented kafala sponsorship system, which tied migrant workers to their employers and meant they couldn’t leave the country or change jobs without permission. The country’s dependency on migrant workers was promptly laid bare to the world, specifically through an employment system at odds with the modern, welcoming image Qatar has been keen to promote. Worries over Qatar’s suitability as a host have persisted over the last decade. The Lusail Stadium, pictured in February, will host the final ‘A World Cup of shame’ Such a reliance was something Fifa failed to fully anticipate, or one it perhaps assumed would be properly managed by Qatar’s Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC), but the evidence suggests it has been anything but. According to human rights group Amnesty International, there are 1.7 million migrant workers in the country, accounting for over 90 per cent of the workforce. With a population of just 2.9 million people, such a vast construction project has not been possible for Qatar without bringing in foreign labour. The total cost of Qatar 2022 currently stands at an estimated US$220 billion, a galaxy away from the US$11.6 billion Russia forked out when it played host in 2018. In 2015, The Guardian reported that US$200 billion was being invested, including on a new rail network, hotels and roads. Given its vast financial resources, Qatar was never going to shirk from such an outlay. Major infrastructure investment has been required. Soccer’s biggest event would head to the Middle East for the first time, but it would be doing so in the smallest nation by area ever to stage the World Cup. With that decision in 2010, history was made on two fronts. Irrespective of what truly swayed Fifa to hand Qatar hosting duties for the World Cup, the organisation has found itself on the back foot from an organisational perspective since Blatter pulled the Gulf state’s name out of the envelope. Qatar was announced as host of the 2022 World Cup back in 2010 Playing catchup With only one year to go until kickoff in Qatar, several questions remain unanswered, with human rights abuses, an awkward calendar slot and diplomatic concerns all continuing to dominate the buildup to the tournament. Since then, Blatter’s successor Gianni Infantino has led an ongoing struggle to restore the governing body’s image, with an increased focus on everything from transparency to women’s soccer in a bid to curry favour.īut if Fifa has tried to draw a line under its past actions, the 2022 World Cup remains a sobering reminder of the old ways. Indeed, malpractice has been intrinsically linked with Fifa since the 2015 corruption case levied against the organisation by US federal prosecutors. The formal charge arrived after a six-year investigation, and with it comes a repeat examination of Blatter’s 17-year tenure at the helm of Fifa, including accusations of bribery and corruption in the selection of Qatar to host next year’s World Cup. The 85-year-old, along with Michel Platini, once the president of European soccer body Uefa, is due in court over an alleged illegal CHF2 million (US$2.2 million) payment. When former Fifa president Sepp Blatter was charged with fraud by Swiss prosecutors earlier this month, it provided yet another reminder of the world soccer governing body’s previous transgressions. ![]()
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