The NGO Amnesty International on Thursday asked Fifa to pay compensation of at least 440 million dollars to “mistreated” migrant workers in Qatar, host country of the 2022 World Cup.
Amnesty’s request, backed by other human rights organisations, comes after repeated criticism of football’s governing body’s slowness to respond to poor working conditions for workers who have flocked to the construction sites linked to the World Cup in the rich Gulf state.
“Fifa should dedicate at least $440 million to redress the damage suffered by the hundreds of thousands of migrant workers who suffered human rights abuses in Qatar during preparations for the 2022 World Cup,” Amnesty said in a statement. .
Fifa “evaluates” the proposal
According to the NGO, this sum, which corresponds to the allocation that the 32 participating teams will share, is the “minimum necessary” to compensate the workers and protect them from future abuses. The organization cites in particular unpaid wages, the payment of “illegal” and “exorbitant” recruitment fees as well as damage caused by accidents at work.
Since 2010, when FIFA awarded the 2022 World Cup to Qatar, a “litany of abuse” has marred the preparations without the body having demanded “the slightest improvement in working conditions”, accused Amnesty.
In a comment sent to AFP, Fifa said it was “currently evaluating the proposal from Amnesty” and other NGOs, saying it “involves a wide range of public infrastructure built in Qatar since 2010 which are not necessarily linked to the World Cup”.
afp/gma