So far, the organizing country has admitted to just 40 deaths, despite media reports putting the number at thousands.
Qatar is choking on the World Cup. In football matches, social demands go hand in hand. First, the choice as the venue for the universal event was questioned. Journalism research showed signs of an alleged fraudulent appointment thanks to alleged bribes to senior FIFA officials. And already on the ground, the protests for the anti-gay laws and for the migrant workers who died in their facilities have not stopped. The pressure has been so great that the tournament organizers have had to change the figure they have given so far. They recognized a few 40 dead in the construction of the stadiums. But Hassan Al Thawadi, one of those responsible for the World Cup, has multiplied it by ten. He has admitted that the works cost the lives of “between 400 and 500″ workers. “I don’t have the exact number, but a death is a death, there are already too many. It’s clear and simple,” he said.
“Every year security at these locations improves. I think the need for labor reform in general indicates that improvements need to be made. This is something we recognized before running the candidacy. The improvements that have occurred are not due to the World Cup. We had to do them because of our values. The World Cup has served as an accelerator,” Al Thawadi admitted. Verse that is worthless after an investigation by British media The Guardian claimed that as many as 6,500 people had died between 2010 and 2020, dates when the entire complex was erected for the sports league dispute. “These numbers come mainly from the Asian embassies in Qatar. We don’t have any statistics on African workers there,” says journalist Sebastien Castelier, who co-wrote a story with Quentin Muller about working conditions in the sovereign state. They believe there will be more deaths. In the book “The slaves of the oil tanker” they give voice to Krishna Timislina, who worked for many years in the World Cup work. He said the conditions were “hell on earth”. The water quality was terrible and the turns endless. We knew our health was being compromised, but what options did we have? They stood under heat of almost 50 degrees for 18 hours a day, and when the day was over, they rested in prefabricated houses on the outskirts of Doha (there is a kind of den near one of the most luxurious hotels in the country) without space or privacy.
Most workers come from developing countries such as India, Nepal, Pakistan, Kenya or Sudan. Attracted by high salaries compared to their country of origin, they literally risk their lives. They view it as an economic opportunity and risk paying for it with death. In addition to the seven stadiums inaugurated for the sporting event, the migrant workers have built roads, a new airport and a rail network.
And along with the demands to dignify the deceased migrant workers, the protests to defend the LGTBI community have not been stopped by football players and with the controversy over the bracelets involved. “If they did it specifically for Qatar, I have a problem with that. If they did and did it consistently, that’s your call. We’ve always said everyone is welcome, even if we don’t agree on everything It is safe for homosexuals to be and live in Qatar,” said Ah Thawadi.
Source: La Verdad
I am Shawn Partain, a journalist and content creator working for the Today Times Live. I specialize in sports journalism, writing articles that cover major sporting events and news stories. With a passion for storytelling and an eye for detail, I strive to be accurate and insightful in my work.
