The government of the World Cup host Qatar firmly rejects the establishment of a compensation fund for injured or deceased migrant workers. Labor Minister Ali bin Samikh Al Marri called this a “publicity stunt” in an interview with the AFP news agency.
The human rights organizations Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch had demanded that Qatar and the world football association (FIFA) set up a compensation fund with financial resources of 440 million, which corresponds to the prize money of the World Cup. In the run-up to the World Cup, 6,500 migrant workers are said to have died.
FIFA speaks of “ongoing dialogue” with Qatar
FIFA had previously claimed there was an “ongoing dialogue” about setting up a fund. Marri now said the plan was unworkable. “Every death is a tragedy,” he admitted, but emphasized: “There are no criteria for setting up these funds. Where are the victims? Do you have the names of the victims? How do you get these numbers?”
Nevertheless, Marri assured, “the door is open, we have already dealt with many cases and solved them”.