The 72nd FIFA congress was held on Thursday, overshadowed by backlash against Qatar’s mistreatment of migrant workers in construction facilities.
The FIFA held its Congress 72 yesterday under the tense shadow of serious questions about Qatar’s mistreatment of migrant labor. The FIFA congress began in Qatar’s capital, preceding the 2022 World Cup final draw which is expected today.
Owing to Covid-19 pandemic, the FIFA congress was the first in-person one of football’s international ruling board in three years. Qatar’s handling of migrant labor and its human rights conduct have long been a source of controversy for a long time. Its origins may be traced back to Doha’s selection to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Qatari Prime Minister declared in his introductory address to the Congress that his country was looking forward to welcome everybody. “We will be representing not only our country but also the Arab world, opening a window to help the entire world see the potential of the region, looking forward to building bridges between our culture and the culture of the world,” Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Al Thani claimed in his remarks.
In separate remarks, the FIFA Chairman cited the improvements that have occurred in Qatar as a strong indicator for Qatar’s World Cup bid. “The human rights, workers’ rights, all this wouldn’t have happened without the World Cup being here,” Gianni Infantino further explained.
The International Labour Organization published a study in November 2021 that exposed the Qatar’s data collection flaws regarding the workers’ deaths. The ILO inquiry into the deaths of migrant labor in Qatar also revealed differences in the techniques of categorizing.
Qatar kept rejecting the human rights accusations during the years of constructions in the past decade. Lack of transparency, nevertheless, reinforces the speculations all the while.
Backlash at FIFA Congress
“unacceptable”; This was how the Norwegian Football Federation chairman referred to the Qatar’s awarding of the major international Football event. Lise Klaveness explained in her address to the FIFA Congress that the 2010 decision had unacceptable consequences too.
“Human rights, equality, democracy, the core interest of football, were not in the starting eleven until many years later. These basic rights were pressured on to the field as substitutes, mainly by outside voices,” she further asserted.
Following her address, the chairman of Qatar’s World Cup organizing group made a speech. Hassan al-Thawadi claimed that Qatar’s labor changes were revolutionary and the measures leave really dramatic societal financial, and ecological implications.
“We have showcased to the world what a tournament being hosted in a country can achieve. Legacy is being delivered as we speak. Going forward, organisations will look towards us as a benchmark on how to utilize these tournaments to leave a legacy.”
Qatar introduced historic labor legislation revisions in August 2020. The requirement for a NOC — authorization from an employer to switch employment – was eliminated as a result. Workers’ stay in Qatar being linked to their employers, according to rights campaigners, led to long years of systematic abuse.
The tale of Qatari employees’ exposure to dangers, threats, and difficult working conditions is a lengthy one. Qatar has generally sought to salvage face by acknowledging the results and promising the future reformation of the circumstance.
Despite the introduction of some reform, the reports indicate that working condition in stadium construction centers is still tense. The workers are deprived of their primary rights and payment systems are not transparent.
The criticism at FIFA Congress in Doha was the final. The game will start in less than seven months; a potential end to the decade-long sufferings.
