FIFA ignores its own report’s recommendations on workers’ compensation for the Qatar World Cup

According to a FIFA subcommittee study on Qatar’s 2022 international Cup legacy, the international governing body of soccer has an obligation to pay migrant workers, but it has not followed through on a suggestion to use its legacy fund for this purpose.

The FIFA Sub-Committee on Human Rights & Social Responsibility’s report looked at a proposal from the Norwegian Football Federation (NFF) at the FIFA Congress on possible worker compensation measures FIFA may take.

FIFA announced a $50 million legacy fund for social activities this week, but Amnesty International blasted the organization for doing little to help the families of migrant workers who were mistreated or killed while constructing World Cup stadiums in Qatar.

The Middle Eastern nation has refuted claims of labor exploitation.
Eleven months after it was presented, the study stated, “There are workers who have contributed to the resounding success of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 who have not yet benefited from any, or any adequate, remediation.”

“Whilst the main responsibility to rectify such shortcomings lies with the direct employers of these workers as well as with the Government of Qatar… FIFA too has a responsibility to take additional measures to contribute to the provision of remedy to these workers.”

According to the research, there were several “human rights impacts” on workers in Qatar between 2010 and 2022, including fatalities, injuries, months-long salary nonpayment, and debt incurred by employees and their families as a result of paying fees to get employment.

“The due diligence measures put in place by FIFA and its partners did not prevent these severe impacts from occurring,” it stated.

EQUITABLE PAYMENT

“The report provides clear guidelines to FIFA on what constitutes effective and fair restitution to ensure migrant workers get the compensation they are entitled to,” Lise Klaveness, president of the NFF, stated.

“FIFA must now implement the recommendations in the report and ensure that migrant workers who contributed to the World Cup are fairly compensated.”