Fifa rejects own committee’s call to compensate Qatar workers

Fifa has published a long-awaited report it commissioned into the legacy of the 2022 Qatar World Cup, but has failed to implement its key recommendation.

The governing body’s sub-committee on human rights and social responsibility concluded that Fifa “has a responsibility” to contribute to compensation for workers harmed by the tournament’s preparation and delivery.

“There are workers who have contributed to the resounding success of the World Cup… who have not yet benefited from any, or any adequate remediation,” it says.

The committee advises Fifa to “to dedicate the World Cup 2022 legacy fund in full or in part to further strengthen the competition’s legacy for migrant workers”.

Fifa unveiled a £39.4m ‘legacy fund’ earlier this week, but it did not include compensation for workers impacted by the tournament, drawing criticism from human rights campaigners.

The report – which was commissioned in March 2023 – was submitted last December but Fifa has waited almost a year to release it.

The findings are based on independent research that found “a number of severe human rights impacts did ultimately occur in Qatar from 2010 through 2022 for a number of workers connected to the 2022 World Cup. This included: deaths, injuries and illnesses; wages not being paid for months on end; and significant debt faced by workers and their families reimbursing the fees they paid to obtain jobs in Qatar”.

It adds that “the due diligence measures put in place by Fifa and its partners did not prevent these severe impacts from occurring…a credible argument can be made that Fifa contributed to some of the impacts”.

It concludes that “Fifa and other organisations who participated in the delivery of the World Cup… have a shared responsibility… to make remedy available to workers impacted”.

Controversy over the human cost of building the infrastructure required for the 2022 tournament in the gulf state’s extreme summer heat has hung over the event for years.

In 2021, it was revealed that 6,500 migrant workers from India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka had died in Qatar since it won its bid to host the World Cup in 2010.

The Qatari government said not all the deaths recorded were of people working on World Cup-related projects, and that many could have died from old age or other natural causes.

During the event, organisers said the number of migrant workers who died on World Cup-related projects was “between 400 and 500”.

Qatar introduced labour reforms from 2017, with more protection for workers, a minimum wage, and the dismantling of the controversial ‘kafala’ sponsorship system, but there have been long-standing concerns over the implementation of the changes.

Despite generating a record £6bn from the World Cup, Fifa resisted calls from campaigners, players’ unions, fan representative groups and some European football federations for a £350m compensation fund for the families of workers who were injured or who had died, instead committing instead to the legacy fund.

Human rights campaign group Amnesty said: “It is no mystery why Fifa has sought to keep this independent report hidden for so long – it clearly concludes that the organisation has a responsibility to ensure remedy including compensation to hundreds of thousands of workers who suffered abuses connected to the 2022 World Cup.

“It validates what human rights organisations, trade unions, fans, and now even Fifa’s own human rights sub-committee have been saying – it is time for Fifa to pay up.”

The Fair Square campaign group said: “Fifa has plumbed new depths this week. Its ‘legacy fund’ offers nothing for the workers who suffered building the tournament, completely ignoring the advice of its own expert human rights report.”

In response, Fifa said: “All reports and recommendations were considered during a comprehensive review by the Fifa administration and relevant bodies.

“While all recommendations could not be met, practical and impactful elements were retained. It should be noted that the study did not specifically constitute a legal assessment of the obligation to remedy.

“The creation of the World Cup 2022 Legacy Fund was unanimously endorsed by the Fifa Council… A Workers’ Support and Insurance Fund was established in Qatar in 2018 and Fifa believes the new Legacy Fund, endorsed by recognised international agencies, is a pragmatic and transparent initiative that will encompass social programmes to help people most in need across the world.”

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