The head of the World Cup organizing committee, Hassan Al Thawadi, has said for the first time that hundreds of workers have died preparing for the global final tournament. According to previous information from Qatar, there were only three.
“It is estimated that between 400 and 500 workers died. I don’t know the exact number. That is not entirely clear yet. Let me be clear: every death is one too many,” says Al Thawadi in conversation with Talk TV.
It is the first time that the organization speaks of hundreds of deaths. The Guardian reported in 2021 that 6,500 migrant workers would have died since Qatar was awarded the World Cup, such as in the construction of World Cup stadiums. The country has long been criticized for poor working conditions for guest workers.
According to official Qatari figures, there were three work-related deaths on the construction sites during that period. That was also said several times by FIFA President Gianni Infantino. But human rights groups estimate hundreds to thousands of deaths.
‘Working conditions for workers improve every year’
Al Thawadi, who previously spoke of “sensational news” of The Guardian, emphasizes that a lot has changed in Qatar. “Working conditions for workers have improved every year. Reforms were also necessary, but we already knew that. We already started on that before the allocation of the World Cup to Qatar.”
At the beginning of November, Qatar was still against a compensation fund for injured workers and relatives of workers who died on construction sites. Several football associations, including the KNVB, had insisted on this.
The Qatari Labor Minister called the idea for a compensation fund a “publicity stunt” by human rights groups.
The controversial World Cup in Qatar started at the end of November and will last until December 18.
Eerder
20 nov 2022 om 17:07
Geen compensatiefonds voor arbeidsmigranten bij start WK in Qatar: zo zit het
20 nov 2022 om 04:57
Waarom we niet exact weten of er 6.500 doden vielen bij WK-bouw
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