Dylan Bettencourt
Fifa president Gianni Infantino has been panned for suggesting that the construction of stadiums in Qatar has given migrant workers “pride and dignity”.
A 2021 Guardian investigation revealed that over 6,500 migrant workers have died in Qatar since construction of the stadiums began in December 2010.
The World Cup, which is set to begin in November, has been marred by reports of migrant deaths and slave labour, leaving a dark cloud hanging over the event.
Amnesty International has accused Fifa, football’s largest international governing body, of enabling the exploitation of migrant workers. The organisation released a report last month describing the conditions workers have to endure as “forced labour”.
However, Infantino has defended and applauded its contributions in Qatar.
“When you give somebody work, even in hard conditions, you give him dignity and pride. It’s not charity,” he told the Milken Institute.
“To build a stadium where the World Cup is to be played is also a matter of pride. And to have been able to change the conditions for these 1.5 million people is something that makes us proud.”
The president, who was elected in 2016, addressed the report that suggested that around 6,500 migrant workers have died constructing the stadiums in Qatar.
“We are investigating all these matters with external entities. Actually three people have died. That is three too many but it’s not 6,000,” he said.
He said 6,000 may have died working on other projects but Fifa was not the police of the world.
The Guardian investigation contradicts Infantino’s statement. It found that 37 deaths were directly linked to the construction of the stadiums.
The majority, it found, had died of “natural causes” – the main one being heart failure brought on by working in extreme heat.
“We are not responsible for everything that happens around the world,” he said.
Denying further reports of human rights abuse, Infantino claimed that workers’ rights have improved in the last few years.
“A lot of progress has been made in this respect in the past few years; progress which took decades in Europe,” he said.
One thing Infantino could not deny is that the alleged controversies have overshadowed the preparation and build up to the event.
Image source: @MiddleEastMonitor
