World Cup, worker died in Qatar. Al Khater: “Death is a natural event”

Al Khater, head of the organizing committee of the World Cup: “The worker was where he didn’t belong”

The umpteenth tragedy that befell a worker during the World Cup in Qatar, this time followed by an official position taken by the “insiders”, the big bosses of the tournament. On Wednesday, Alex, a worker from the Philippines, died after being hit by a forklift while carrying out repairs at the resort. An incident that has not gone unnoticed and is now being examined by the Qatari authorities. An initial response from the World Cup organizing committee stated that the worker was “on property not under his jurisdiction”.

natural event

Not only. In a meeting with journalists, Nasser Fahad Al Khater, managing director of the organizing committee for the World Cup, responded piquedly to the accusations about too many suspicious deaths of workers in Qatar: “Is this something you want to talk about now? I mean, the death it’s a natural part of life, both at work and in your sleep. Our condolences go out to the worker’s family. However, I mean, it’s strange that this is something you want to focus on as the first question.” Al Khater continued by recalling that “everything that has been said about the death of workers is absolutely false. This issue, this negativity around the World Cup was an aspect to be addressed”. In short, journalists are in the crosshairs: “We are a little disappointed that journalists have exacerbated this false narrative. And honestly, I think many must ask themselves and reflect on why they have tried to press the subject for so long time”.

Investigations liquidated

The heavy statement released by Al Khater has also triggered reactions from Amnesty International. Migrant workers’ rights researcher Ella Knight said: ‘Unfortunately, Mr Al Khater is wrong when he says that every fatal accident is investigated. This is simply not true. Qatar to conduct investigations into workers’ deaths, to no avail. Indeed, these circumstances are dismissed by saying that the large number of deaths are due to natural causes, without acknowledging the serious inhumane conduct towards workers who work in extreme temperatures”.

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