Fresh criticism for Qatar and FIFA as World Cup ends on International Migrants Day

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Doha, QatarCNN —

As the 2022 World Cup draws to a close, global rights organizations have renewed their criticism of Qatar and FIFA over the treatment of thousands of migrant workers who built stadiums and sports infrastructure. tournaments.

Sunday’s World Cup final coincides with International Migrants Day and Qatar’s National Day.

As good as football has often been, the tournament has cost hundreds of thousands of workers who have paid illegal recruitment fees, had their wages stolen or even lost their lives, said Steve Cockburn, head of economic and social justice at Amnesty International. a statement to CNN.

He added that the workers and their families deserved to be compensated by the authorities.

We are still waiting for FIFA and Qatar to commit to ensuring redress for everyone who made this World Cup possible, he said.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino praised organizers and volunteers on Friday for staging the best World Cup ever, but critics said his commentary ignored the sacrifices of migrant workers, who are often subject to conditions difficult and sordid life and work.

Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Equidem and Migrant Defenders and other groups have all called on Qatar and FIFA to do more for the migrant workers who staged the World Cup.

FIFA also came under fire from Ukraine’s presidential office for refusing to show a message of peace from President Volodymyr Zelensky ahead of the final.

FIFA has a human rights policy with clear rules protecting human rights, but far too often FIFA has sided with its wealthy partner Qatar against the most vulnerable, Minky said. Worden, director of global initiatives at Human Rights Watch.

Worden also said the Qatari authorities’ labor reforms came too late and were too narrow or weakly implemented to benefit many migrant workers.

That World Cup in Qatar will indeed be remembered, for all the wrong reasons: as the most expensive and deadliest sporting event ever, she added.

Workers’ rights organization Equidem called on Infantino to support the establishment of an independent center for migrant workers in Qatar after the World Cup.

Qatar, a tiny country smaller than Connecticut, has been the center of global attention for the past few weeks. But his hosting of the World Cup has also shone a light on his human rights record.

The deaths of migrant workers in the country in the years leading up to the competition also drew heavy criticism.

According to government estimates, more than 30,000 foreign workers, mostly men from South Asian countries such as India, Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh, were brought in to build stadiums. The Gulf state has also expanded its airport and built new hotels, railroads and highways.

Malcolm Bidali, co-founder of Nairobi-based Migrant Defenders and a former security guard in Qatar, told CNN this week he was worried about the plight of migrant workers after the World Cup spotlight shifted.

As we speak we still have people who are not being paid, people still living in cramped conditions, we have people who still face physical, verbal and sexual abuse, discrimination, long working hours and horrible working conditions, Bidali said.

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