FIFA is being called to address the abuses suffered by migrant workers leading up to the 2022 World Cup.
A petition with over 1 million signatures was delivered to FIFA ahead of its upcoming congress to compensate workers and their families for injuries and deaths related to the construction of stadiums and surrounding infrastructure for the tournament last November and December.
FIFA convenes on Thursday in Kigali, Rwanda.
“This meeting offers another opportunity for FIFA to make amends and establish a firm plan and timetable to directly and quickly recompense workers and their families, who suffered shocking human rights abuses to deliver a World Cup that was built on their sacrifice,” said Steve Cockburn, Amnesty International’s head of economic and social justice.
Soccer’s global governing body agreed to address these issues at the upcoming congress following an official request from the Norwegian Football Association.
Qatari officials initially maintained that only three workers died due to the construction process, but later said that the number was 400 to 500. A Guardian investigation of total migrant worker deaths in the country from 2010 to 2020 put the figure at 6,500.
Video reports of labor camps showed small apartments shared by 10 or more workers. Conditions later improved following the media attention.
