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Qatar World Cup 2022: Qatar, after the death of a worker: “It is a natural part of life”

Nasser al-Khater, Chairman of the Qatar 2022 Organizing Committee. / FILE, ARCHIVE

International organizations criticize the Qatari government for its “ruthless” reaction after the death of a Filipino worker at a World Cup facility

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The tragic fate of some workers involved in the construction of the World Cup stadiums has become the biggest mole of Qatar 2022. Although as the days go by the public conversation has been moving towards the sports competition, the death accident of a Filipino worker in a World Cup facility has once again placed the focus on the most uncomfortable issue for both the emirate and FIFA.

Last Wednesday, ‘The Athletic’ magazine revealed that Álex, an electrician who worked in the Sealine Resort car park, the training ground for the Saudi Arabian national team, had died after falling down a garage ramp and hitting his head against the concrete floor, although the day the death occurred was not indicated. The Philippine Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed the death on Thursday and assured that it is working with the embassy to clarify the details of the case.

The anger of Sheikh Nasser al-Khater, president of the organizing committee of Qatar 2022, when a journalist from the newspaper ‘The Guardian’ asked him about the accident of the Filipino worker was visible. “We are in the middle of a World Cup, a very successful World Cup, and now you are asking me about this,” he snapped. Although he sent his “condolences” to the family, he criticized the international press for continuing to delve into a “false” matter. It was then that Nasser al-Khater said that death was “a natural part of life, whether at work or in bed”, a phrase that immediately raised the anger of some international organizations.

Human Right Watch censured the sheikh’s “ruthless” reaction and noted that the Qatari government continues to “refuse to investigate the thousands of deaths” that have occurred. In addition, he criticized that the organization of the World Cup rushed to say that the deceased Filipino worker, apparently subcontracted, was not under his jurisdiction “when he was repairing a World Cup facility.” However, the Reuters agency collected the statement of a member of the Qatari government in which he assured that “if the investigation concludes that the security protocols were not followed, the company will receive severe financial sanctions.”

NGO criticism

Both Human Right Watch and Amnesty International have denounced the Qatari government for not investigating the deaths that have occurred since FIFA awarded Qatar the organization of the World Cup in 2010. The emirate assures that all the families of the deceased have been compensated, but the NGOs reply that many of the deaths have been dismissed as the product of “natural causes” or “heart attacks”, despite having occurred in young and healthy men. who worked from sunup to sundown in the construction of the stadiums.

The total number of deaths could not be established exactly either. Some investigations raise the figure above 6,000, although, until a few days ago, the Supreme Committee for the Organization and the Legacy only recognized three deaths directly related to the World Cup works and another 37 indirectly. On November 28, the Committee’s secretary general, Hassan al-Tawadi, admitted that the real number could be “between 400 and 500.” A very wide fork to which must now be added the case of Álex, a Filipino electrician whose last name is unknown.

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