The Dutch national team met twenty migrant workers on Thursday evening who contributed to the construction of the World Cup stadiums in Qatar. The players of Orange wanted this and look back on it with a good feeling. Although it was difficult to have a conversation due to the circumstances.
“We are not blind and deaf. We know that many migrants have had to work under far too harsh conditions for this World Cup,” said captain Virgil van Dijk shortly after the meeting. “It was important for us to speak to these people ourselves, although it would have been better to do it behind closed doors. Then it would have been easier to talk about their situation.”
The meeting took place in front of dozens of cameras from Dutch, but especially international media. After the Orange training, the migrants entered the field, after which there were short conversations. The migrant workers also took selfies and asked for autographs. The meeting was concluded with small parties, in which the Orange players formed teams with the migrants.
“I thought it was nice and very positive to experience this,” said Frenkie de Jong. “I saw a lot of fun with the migrants and it did us good too. Although it was difficult to hear their personal story or to have a deeper conversation.”
De Jong did have a somewhat longer chat with one of the migrants, who came from countries in Asia and Africa. “I asked him about his situation, but he kept telling me to sign for Liverpool. He tried to convince me.”
England, the US and Argentina also meet migrant workers
The Netherlands is one of four countries to meet with migrant workers in the run-up to the fraught World Cup in Qatar. The players of Argentina, England and the United States are also doing it.
“Actually, it is the most normal thing in the world,” said Van Dijk. “Just a chat to give these people the attention they deserve. It also gives me energy personally. It’s nice to see that it did people good.”
The meeting was also the moment for the Orange to draw attention to the abuses in Qatar in the run-up to the World Cup. Van Gaal has already indicated that after the meeting, the focus should be on performing for the Orange, which will play its first World Cup match against Senegal on Monday. The tournament starts on Sunday at 5 p.m. with the game between host country Qatar and Ecuador.
Hoe zijn de twintig arbeidsmigranten geselecteerd?
- De arbeiders zijn niet geselecteerd door de WK-organisatie of de FIFA, maar door Building and Wood Workers International (BWI), een onafhankelijke internationale vakbond;
- Amnesty International gaf al eerder aan blij te zijn dat Oranje dit doet;
- BWI is een onafhankelijke vakbond, die juist heel kritisch over de Qatarese regering is;
- Het is alleen de vraag hoe de arbeiders bij BWI zijn gekomen. Mogelijk speelde de WK-organisatie hier alsnog een rol in: dat valt niet uit te sluiten.
Slideshow: Orange plays football with migrant workers
