Qatar recognized the death of “between 400 and 500” migrants working for the World Cup

A subsequent statement and clarification put the World Cup back at the center of the controversy over human rights. An interview with Hassan Al Thawadi, head of the organization of Qatar 2022, once again focused on the working conditions and deaths that occurred during the construction of the stadiums and other works related to the World Cup.

“The estimate is between 400 and 500 deaths,” said Hassan Al Thawadi on the Piers Morgan Uncensored program, adding: “I don’t know the exact number, which is being discussed now, but a death is a death, one is already too much. It’s clear and simple.”

The statement sounded very loud: the fact is that from Qatar they admitted that the number of deaths was much higher than what they had ever recognized (about 40 and only three working directly in the stadiums). However, immediately, the Supreme Committee issued a statement on Al Thawadi’s sayings and clarified that it referred to the deceased (414) if all sectors of work and different nationalities were taken during the period 2014-2020.

Logically, the word of Hassan al Thawadi in the interview with Piers Morgan, later clarified by the Supreme Committee of Qatar, generated answers: “This is just the latest example of the inexcusable lack of transparency about the death of workers. We need data and research, not vague figures announced in media interviews,” said Nicholas McGeehan, director of Fairsquare, a group that defends migrant workers in the Middle East.

“FIFA and Qatar continue to have many questions to answer, especially where, when and how these men died, and whether their families received compensation,” McGeehan reflected. For his part, Mustafa Qadri, executive director of Equidem Research, commented to The Associated Press: “To now say that there are hundreds is surprising. They have no idea what is happening.”

Last year, The Guardian published a report in which it stated that there were about 6,500 deaths in relation to the World Cup and took as a source the records of five of the countries with the most immigrant workers in Qatar: India (2711 deaths), Nepal (1641), Bangladesh (1018), Pakistan (824) and Sri Lanka (557). Al Thawadi, in an interview with Becky Anderson on CNN, responded that it was a “sensational headline” and spoke of “inaccurate and tremendously misleading” figures.

“The figure of 6,500 takes the number of deaths of all foreign workers in the country over a 10-year period and attributes it to the World Cup... This is not true and leaves aside all other causes of death, including illness, old age and traffic accidents. Nor does it recognize that only 20% of foreign workers in Qatar are employed on construction sites,” said one of the visible faces of the organization.

Working conditions during the construction of the stadiums and all the works related to the World Cup were always in the spotlight. The amount of working hours in extreme situations due to the heat, lies about wages, the impossibility of changing jobs and the precarious living conditions were some of the complaints that have been made in recent years. In 2016, after a complaint filed with the World Labour Organization (ILO), Qatar agreed to negotiate some laws for workers and even established measures such as the minimum wage.

In his interview with the Uncensored program, Al Thawadi acknowledged that “there had to be improvements in the workplace and that progress is being made in this regard.” In addition, he assured that “that this improvement derives largely from the World Cup, which has now put Qatar under the spotlight of the world. The World Cup served as a vehicle, an accelerator. We are committed to transparency.”

In the run-up to and during the World Cup, especially at the start of the competition, different demonstrations related to human rights were held in Qatar. Most of the protests were in support of the LGBT+ community. Homosexuality is prohibited in Qatar. Some captains were going to wear the “OneLove” bracelet, although FIFA warned of sanctions, such as yellow cards, so they withdrew. Germany responded with its players covering their mouths in the pre-match photo against Japan. Meanwhile, Al Thawadi said: “I think it’s safe for everyone to live in Qatar.”