March 16 – In a week when FIFA is due to announce the dates for the first ever winter World Cup in 2022, Sepp Blatter is keeping up the pressure on hosts Qatar to improve conditions for migrant workers.
The treatment of construction workers in the Gulf state has been under constant scrutiny by human rights organisations and while the Qatari authorities are working to upgrade standards, most notably overhauling the restrictive kafala system that ties labourers to their employers, Blatter says more must still be done.
More than 180 migrant workers died in Qatar in 2013, according to reports, and last year the government pledged to implement changes “as quickly as possible”.
They have yet to materialise in full and after meeting Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani in Doha, Blatter said in a statement: “As various human rights groups have recently noted, progress has been made already, especially with regard to the standards introduced by the supreme committee relating to 2022 construction sites, but more must be done in Qatar to ensure uniformly fair working conditions for all.
“It is encouraging to hear the Emir’s personal commitment to workers’ welfare and to get a sense of the improvements planned for all workers in Qatar.
“It is clear that Qatar takes its responsibility as host seriously and sees the FIFA World Cup as a catalyst for positive social change.”
FIFA is due to announce the November-December dates for 2022 at an eagerly awaited press conference following Friday’s executive committee meeting. While that will close a long chapter in the ongoing debate over whether the tournament should be switched from summer, Blatter’s latest comments will re-inforce the need for Qatar to tackle the issue of workers’ rights as they press ahead with World Cup organisation.
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