Amnesty International has asked football's governing body FIFA to pay compensation of at least 440 million dollars to the thousands of migrant workers "who suffered human rights abuses" in Qatar during preparations for the 2022 World Cup. Amnesty has denounced the dire working conditions of migrant workers ahead of the tournament.
Amnesty International said in a new report on Thursday (May 19) that FIFA should earmark at least 440 million dollars for migrant workers who endured "human rights abuses in Qatar" ahead of the 2022 World Cup.
Amnesty's request, supported by other human rights organizations, was issued after repeated criticism over FIFA's delay in reacting to the reported poor conditions of workers employed in construction sites connected to the World Cup in the rich Gulf State.
"FIFA should earmark at least 440 million dollars (418 million euros) to provide remedy for the hundreds of thousands of migrant workers who have suffered human rights abuses in Qatar during preparations for the 2022 World Cup," said the NGO.
Sum to be divided between 32 teams at the event 'minimum necessary'
According to Amnesty, this sum, which will be divided between the 32 teams taking part in the tournament, is the "minimum necessary" to compensate workers and protect them from future abuse.
The organization cited in particular "unpaid wages, the extortionate recruitment fees paid by hundreds of thousands of workers, and compensation for injuries and deaths."
Amnesty had welcomed the social reforms decided by Qatar in 2018 and the improvement of conditions on official sites of the World Cup that opened in 2014. However, according to the NGO, these rules aren't always respected and abuses persist.