European football associations call for FIFA action on Qatar

Workers at an entrance to the Khalifa Stadium in Doha on November 6, 2022, ahead of the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup football tournament. (AFP)
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  • Gulf state must ensure workers鈥� rights, launch effective compensation fund, 10-country group warns
  • FM slams 鈥榓rrogance鈥� of people who 鈥榗annot accept a small country from the Middle East鈥� hosting World Cup

LONDON: A group of major European national football associations have demanded that FIFA meets its commitment in urging Qatar to ensure workers鈥� rights ahead of the World Cup.

The 10-country group 鈥� which includes the FAs of England and Wales 鈥� urged FIFA to encourage the establishment of a workers鈥� rights institution in Qatar and an effective compensation fund for migrant workers.

The FAs of Belgium, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Sweden and Switzerland are also part of the group.

鈥淲e acknowledge, and welcome, as we have done in the past, that significant progress has been made by Qatar, particularly with regards to the rights of migrant workers, with the impact of legislative changes demonstrated in the International Labour Organisation鈥檚 recent reports,鈥� the FAs said in a statement.

鈥淲e welcome the assurances given by the Qatari Government and by FIFA regarding the safety, security and inclusion of all fans who travel to the World Cup.

鈥淗owever, embracing diversity and tolerance also means supporting human rights. Human rights are universal and they apply everywhere.

鈥淲e will continue to support the momentum for positive, progressive change and continue to advocate for a conclusive outcome and update on the two key outstanding issues we have been discussing with FIFA for a long time.

鈥淔IFA has repeatedly committed to deliver concrete answers on these issues 鈥� the compensation fund for migrant workers, and the concept of a migrant workers center to be created in Doha 鈥� and we will continue to press for these to be delivered.

鈥淲e believe in the power of football to make further positive and credible contributions to progressive sustainable change in the world.鈥�

The move comes as Qatar fires back at critics over its handling of the tournament, with the country鈥檚 foreign minister labeling people who 鈥渃annot accept a small country from the Middle East鈥� hosting the World Cup as 鈥渁rrogant.鈥�

Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani told Sky News: 鈥淧reaching from a distance is not a solution.鈥�

He described criticism in the media of Qatar鈥檚 hosting as 鈥渕isinformation,鈥� adding: 鈥淐alling to boycott the World Cup, or those who are not coming to the World Cup, it鈥檚 their decision at the end of the day.

鈥淏ut why deprive the people and the public from attending and enjoying the World Cup? What kind of message are they sending to their own public? What about their own problems within their countries, which they are turning a blind eye to?

鈥淗onestly, not me or the Qatari people only, but there鈥檚 a lot of people from around the world who are just seeing this as a sense of arrogance, a sense of people who cannot accept that a small country from the Middle East has won the bid to host the World Cup.鈥�

During the Sky News interview, Al-Thani was questioned over foreign migrant deaths during Qatar鈥檚 stadium construction program, as well as the efficacy of the country鈥檚 compensation fund for workers.

He described the fund as having been 鈥渨orking very effectively in the last couple of years,鈥� adding: 鈥淎lready around $350 million has been dispersed the last years for the workers and this is proven to be effective.

鈥淚f there are any issues or gaps with the execution of the current fund they should come and talk to us to improve it, not to duplicate.鈥�

In a bid to quell tensions ahead of the opening World Cup match on Nov. 20, FIFA President Gianni Infantino and Secretary-General Fatma Samoura last week appealed to all countries taking part in the tournament to 鈥渘ot allow football to be dragged into every ideological or political battle that exists.鈥�