Qatar World Cup chief criticized for ‘callous’ remarks about migrant worker’s death | CBC Sports
The head of Qatar’s World Cup organizing committee is dealing with criticism over his remarks concerning the reported dying of a Filipino migrant employee at a coaching website in the course of the event.
Nasser Al Khater, chief government of the 2022 World Cup in Doha, confirmed to Reuters {that a} employee had died, however gave no additional particulars. He supplied his condolences to the person’s household, however was dismissive of additional questions from journalists.
“Death is a natural part of life, whether it’s at work, whether it’s in your sleep,” Khater stated. “We’re in the middle of a World Cup. And we have a successful World Cup. And this is something you want to talk about right now?”
Qatar’s remedy of migrant staff has come underneath monumental scrutiny in the course of the build-up to the World Cup, with human rights teams accusing the Gulf state of systematic labour abuses — fees rejected by the federal government.
Human Rights Watch condemned Khater’s remarks, saying he confirmed a “callous disregard” for the lifeless employee.
“Khater’s statement that deaths happen and that it’s natural when it does ignores the truth that many migrant worker deaths were preventable,” Rothna Begum, senior researcher at Human Rights Watch, informed 24CA News in a press release.
Investigation into dying
Online sports activities publication The Athletic on Wednesday reported that the person labored for a corporation contracted to repair lights in a parking lot on the Sealine Resort, the coaching website of the Saudi nationwide workforce. It stated he died after he slipped off a ramp whereas strolling alongside a forklift and hit his head on concrete.
Citing a number of unnamed sources, it stated the accident occurred in the course of the World Cup, however didn’t specify when.
Qatari officers confirmed that they had launched a piece security investigation.
“If the investigation concludes that safety protocols were not followed, the company will be subject to legal action and severe financial penalties,” a Qatar authorities official, who declined to be named, informed Reuters.
“The rate of work-related accidents has consistently declined in Qatar since strict health and safety standards were introduced and enforcement has been stepped up,” he stated.
The Philippines’ overseas ministry confirmed in a press release that certainly one of its nationals had died whereas working at a resort south of the capital Doha. It stated its embassy was “working with legal authorities to ascertain more details of his passing.”
In a press release, FIFA stated it was “deeply saddened” by the news of the employee’s dying.
“As soon as FIFA was made aware of the accident, we contacted the local authorities to request more details. FIFA will be in a position to comment further once the relevant processes in relation to the worker’s passing have been completed,” a spokesperson informed 24CA News.
Qatar disputes dying numbers
Since being awarded World Cup internet hosting rights in 2010, Qatar had come underneath the microscope over its remedy of migrant staff, who account for almost all of its inhabitants.
The event, the primary to be held within the Middle East the place different international locations have additionally confronted criticism over migrant staff’ rights, has been mired in controversy. Some soccer stars and European officers have been criticizing Qatar’s human rights file, together with on labour, LGBTQ+ individuals, and ladies’s rights.
Qatar’s World Cup organizers, the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy, stated in a press release that it was not concerned within the Qatari investigation as “the deceased [was] working as a contractor, not under the remit of the SC.”
The variety of work-related deaths in Qatar is in dispute.
Britain’s Guardian newspaper reported final 12 months that at the least 6,500 migrant staff — lots of them engaged on World Cup initiatives — had died in Qatar since 2010, based mostly on its calculations from official information.
In response, Qatar stated the variety of deaths was proportionate to the dimensions of the migrant workforce, and included many non-manual staff, including that each life misplaced was a tragedy. The SC stated that three work-related deaths and 37 non-work associated deaths had occurred on World Cup-related initiatives.
Front Burner24:18Qatar and a World Cup controversy
This month’s FIFA World Cup is a giant one for Canada. It’s the primary time in 36 years that our males’s workforce has certified to compete, and the final World Cup earlier than Canada shares internet hosting duties in 2026. But within the decade since Qatar gained its bid to host this 12 months’s event, allegations of bribery, discrimination and human rights abuses have threatened to overshadow the sport. Qatar criminalizes same-sex relationships and a report from the Guardian says at the least 6,500 migrant staff have died since its profitable bid. As gamers and followers grapple with how you can protest, we’re joined by Roger Bennett of the Men in Blazers podcast. He’s simply co-authored a brand new guide known as Gods of Soccer and is co-hosting World Corrupt, a podcast that dives deep into FIFA corruption and the World Cup in Qatar.
