Hassan al-Thawadi, senior official of the organization of the Qatar 2022 World Cup.
Photo: KARIM JAAFAR/AFP/Getty Images
The Qatar 2022 World Cup is undoubtedly the most anticipated sporting event of the year, although before its start there was much discussion and controversy over the mistreatment and deaths of migrant workers who participated in the construction of the stadiums in the Asian country.
Organizations such as Human Rights Watch (HRW) denounced that the Qatari government established a mechanism for the violation of human rights that caused the death of thousands of undocumented migrants who did not have access to basic services under the inclement temperatures of that nation.
In this sense, the World Cup organization itself has admitted the death of migrants. Hassan Al Thawadi, one of the heads of Qatar 2022, admitted that “between 400 and 500” workers died during the preparations of the highest soccer tournament.
“I don’t have the exact number, but one death is one death, it’s already too many. It’s clear and simple”
In a conversation with the British chain talkTVThe senior Qatari official stated that labor reforms and some improvements are being discussed and that they will be carried out due to demands within his own country and not because of the World Cup.
“In general, the need for a labor reform indicates that improvements must be made. This is something that we recognized before carrying out the candidacy. The best ones that have been produced have not been for the World Cup, we have had to do them for our values ”, he indicated.
Although Hassan Al Thawadi gave this number, high and alarming, HRW estimates that more than 1,000 migrants have died from mistreatmenteven hours before the interview of the Qatari official with the British press, the daily Guardian released an investigation that raises the death toll to 6,500.
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