Erling Haaland and Norwegian players protested against Qatar 2022 1:05
(CNN) -
It's impossible not to see them.
As you drive through Qatar, it seems like a new desert football stadium rises on every corner, each offering a futuristic glimpse into their traditional culture.
One of them, located in an area long known for diving and pearl fishing, is shaped like a "dhow", a traditional boat that plows through the waters of the Gulf.
Another is designed as a woven hat known as a "gahfiya," which is often worn by men from the Gulf countries as the basis for their traditional white scarves.
Each of the stadium designs represents the history and culture of Qatar, and are a testament to its future ambitions on the world stage.
But each of them has been built with the help of an army of overseas workers, many of whom hail from South Asia and parts of Africa.
And the small Gulf country has launched a media offensive after several reports denouncing heinous mistreatment and abuse.
An image taken on December 20, 2019 shows construction workers at Qatar's Lusail Stadium, about 20 kilometers north of the capital Doha.
Since Qatar won the bid to host the World Cup in 2010, more than 6,500 migrant workers have died in the country, The Guardian reported in February.
Most of the workers, according to the authors, performed dangerous and poorly paid jobs, often in extremely hot conditions.
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The Guardian report did not definitively link the 6,500 deaths to World Cup infrastructure projects.
Although an expert told the British newspaper that it was "likely that many workers who have died were employed" in those projects.
CNN has not independently verified The Guardian's figures.
Those responsible for the Qatar World Cup estimate a very different death toll, claiming that there have been only three work-related deaths in stadiums and 35 non-work-related deaths.
Hassan Al Thawadi, in charge of directing the preparations for the event, told CNN's Becky Anderson that The Guardian's figure of 6,500 was "inherently misleading" and lacked context.
"When a tabloid headline like that comes out, I understand people's concern," he said.
"As human beings, we all have a responsibility to worry about these matters, I totally agree with that. But I think it is also very important to find out the facts on the spot."
Some of the people, he said, were doctors and teachers who died from natural causes or disease, not from working in World Cup stadiums.
Hassan Al Thawadi, secretary general of the Supreme Committee for Surrender and Legacy, speaks during an interview at Doha's Al Bayt Stadium on June 8.
However, the authors of the Guardian report argue that there are few medical explanations for the causes of these deaths, largely due to the Qatari government's lack of transparency.
As Qatar does not routinely perform autopsies, it is difficult to verify.
In a statement to CNN, FIFA - the body in charge of organizing all World Cups - agreed with the death toll in Qatar.
"FIFA and the Supreme Committee of Qatar (SC) have always maintained transparency around these deaths," he said, adding that the Supreme Committee investigates every work-related incident.
"Thanks to the strict health and safety measures on construction sites implemented by the CS, the frequency of accidents at the FIFA World Cup sites has been low compared to other large construction projects around the world."
However, he added that "it remains a challenge to fully safeguard workers from health risks that may not be directly associated with their work on the construction site."
When asked if he believed the Qatari authorities should do more to investigate the workers' deaths, Al Thawadi told CNN that the government is "in talks to review its overall death rates."
"I believe that the State of Qatar has continuously shown its commitment to transparency," he said.
"The simple fact that human rights organizations can come here, conduct their investigations and issue their reports from the State of Qatar, I think is a testament to our commitment."
Amnesty International confirmed this in a statement to CNN: "Unlike most Gulf countries, Qatar allows Amnesty International access to visit the country and meet with officials to raise our concerns."
However, the organization has not released a report from inside the country since 2013.
He added: "It is not always easy to access migrant workers and workplaces. Many of them fear they will face repercussions for speaking to international organizations."
'Especially serious in the Gulf'
In the past 10 years, it is not just the deaths allegedly associated with the 2022 World Cup that have put Qatar under relentless scrutiny.
Various human rights organizations maintain that thousands of workers involved in stadium construction and infrastructure projects have been subjected to labor exploitation and human rights violations.
Construction takes place at the Lusail Stadium, on December 20, 2019, in Doha.
Since 2010, migrant workers have faced back or unpaid wages, forced labor, long hours of work in hot climates, intimidation from employers, and the inability to leave their jobs due to the country's sponsorship system. as confirmed by human rights organizations.
Barun Ghimire is a Kathmandu-based human rights lawyer whose work in Nepal is primarily focused on the exploitation of Nepalese migrants working abroad.
Labor migration from Nepal is deeply concentrated in the Gulf countries, with Qatar accounting for the largest share in 2018 and 2019. And in Qatar, Nepalese are the second largest ethnic group of migrant workers, after Indians.
Ghimire told CNN that the plight of Nepalese blue-collar workers is "particularly dire in the Gulf."
Ghimire has documented abuses of migrant workers in Qatar long before the country gained the rights to host the World Cup.
But in the 10 years since then, he says he has received a "significantly high number" of complaints from Nepalese workers living there.
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"Every two days a story is heard."
Most migrant workers, he adds, come from poverty and are poorly educated, making them vulnerable and easy targets for exploitation.
Ghimire says she created crowdfunding campaigns to help workers return to Nepal, because they never received their wages.
"Migrant workers from the poorest countries go to Qatar in search of employment," he explains.
"But when they get there, a tragic event occurs which is like the case of blood diamonds. The World Cup in Qatar is really the bloody cup: the blood of immigrant workers."
But the blame should not lie solely with Qatar, he stressed, adding that the Government of Nepal and other countries must be held accountable for failing to provide workers with adequate protection in their destination countries.
Maheshwor Nepal is a former Nepalese migrant worker who worked for the Qatar Airways Customer Service Department for eight years.
Speaking to CNN, he said that while he never experienced mistreatment and was not directly involved in the World Cup infrastructure, he did witness what happened to other workers, especially in stadiums.
When Qatar obtained the rights to host the event, Nepal said it was seen as a great opportunity for young people from developing countries to explore job opportunities abroad.
However, most of them were promised "unsatisfied dreams" in both their home and destination countries, he said.
"Nepalese blood and sweat have been mixed in all of Qatar's development projects," he said.
He made multiple trips, as a self-funded researcher, to Qatar's industrial areas where most migrant workers live, and saw what he described as "deplorable" conditions.
A Nepalese worker looks out of his room window at a private camp hosting foreign workers in Doha, on May 3, 2015.
Work accommodation camps built specifically for migrant workers dot the landscape of Doha, the capital of Qatar.
Human rights organizations have repeatedly denounced the camps as overcrowded, unsanitary and lacking adequate water and electricity.
Nepal recalls entering an unsanitary kitchen hidden in a corner of a crowded labor camp, shared by dozens of workers.
Workers had a responsibility to clean their own rooms every day, he said, even after working an exorbitant number of hours in the heat.
No one ever did, Nepal said, and so they were forced to live in the dirt.
Structural racial discrimination against foreigners
More than two million people make up Qatar's migrant workforce, which comprises 95% of all workers in the country.
According to the International Labor Organization (ILO), the proportion of migrant workers in the Middle East, especially in the Gulf States, is one of the highest in the world.
Most work in low-skilled labor sectors, such as construction and hospitality, making them vital to the economic growth and development of their host countries.
However, the division of labor is incredibly unfair.
A 2020 United Nations report found "serious problems of structural racial discrimination against non-nationals" in Qatar, specifically those from countries in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa.
"For many in Qatar, national origin and nationality determine the extent of their enjoyment of human rights," the report stated.
The report followed a UN special rapporteur's visit to Qatar in 2019, where she documented a "de facto caste system", based on national origin.
It found that those with Western or Arab passports receive better contractual benefits than those with certain South Asian and sub-Saharan African nationalities, even if they do the same jobs.
The Special Rapporteur expressed concern that Qatar's labor laws lead to "huge power imbalances between employers and migrant workers".
The special rapporteur observed a "climate of fear" among immigrants, concerned about retaliation, which prevents them from filing complaints against their employers for labor violations.
Since the UN report was published, Qatar has deployed some policies to reform the labor structure, all stemming from an agreement to help protect workers' rights signed in 2017 between the Government of Qatar and the ILO, an agency of the United Nations.
"No one denies that there is more work to be done," Al Thawadi said.
But he assures that "the commitment that the State has shown and has made from the beginning to fulfill those promises" is clear.
Under the agreement with the ILO, the Gulf State sponsorship system, known as
kafala
, was dismantled last year
.
This allows, in part, for migrant workers to change jobs before their contracts expire without the consent of their employers.
Qatar also implemented a non-discriminatory minimum wage of US $ 275 a month, which applies to both migrant and national workers, and which it claims is the first of its kind in the region.
However, the average income of Qatari households is apparently more than 11 times higher.
When migrant workers seek employment abroad, they often have to pay high recruitment fees to agencies in their home countries.
These fees can be hefty, making them vulnerable, often with heavy debts to pay.
To help immigrant workers facing debts stemming from these fees, Al Thawadi detailed an initiative that works with contractors to ensure reimbursement of hiring fees to workers, stating that no proof of payment is required. .
"Hiring fees here, as elsewhere in the world, are illegal, but the burden of proof is on the worker. What we have achieved is reversing that evidentiary obligation."
In the past five years, contractors working for the Supreme Committee have voluntarily pledged to reimburse about $ 33 million to some 48,000 workers, he told CNN.
Of that total, about 18,000 do not work at the World Cup venues, but have benefited as well, Al Thawadi said.
"There is a firm commitment to guarantee the protection of people's rights," he said.
Earlier this month, the US State Department recognized a Qatari official for "his leadership in pushing through reforms to the sponsorship system and addressing labor abuses in Qatar."
During 2021 there has even been concern about the 2022 World Cup among players on the field.
Norwegian forward Erling Braut Haaland appears wearing a shirt with the slogan "Human rights, on and off the field", as he warms up before the qualifying soccer match for the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup between Norway and Turkey, at the stadium from La Rosaleda, in Malaga, on March 27, 2021.
However, Fabien Goa, Research Director at the non-profit human rights organization FairSquare Projects, doesn't think it's that clear.
Goa, who has more than a decade of human rights experience, previously advised on sports and labor rights at Amnesty International, focusing on the Qatar World Cup 2022.
Speaking to CNN, Goa applauded the recent steps taken by Qatar, saying that the dismantling of the
kafala
system
was "the most important reform" Qatar had ever done, but that it came too late.
"Qatar was awarded the World Cup in 2010. The law was not enforced until 2020," when most of the World Cup infrastructure was already finished, Goa said.
"It is a shame".
He also said that while the dismantling of the
kafala
system
was a positive step, many loopholes remain, such as "absconding charges", that employers in the Gulf States can bring against employees who do not show up for work.
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These charges can lead to the detention and deportation of immigrant workers, and human rights organizations allege that employers abuse this power to control workers.
"Immigrant workers do not yet have power. The level of control still exists. If they are unlucky enough to have abusive patrons, they can harness that power against them."
International organizations and workers' rights groups have also applauded the reforms, but, like Goa, they insist that more work must be done.
In March, Amnesty International called on FIFA to ensure full protection of the rights of migrant workers in Qatar before the start of the World Cup.
In a statement to CNN, Amnesty acknowledges the changes Qatar has implemented, but states that "the poor implementation and enforcement of these reforms has left thousands of workers at the mercy of unscrupulous employers who have been allowed to commit abuses with impunity. ".
"Despite improvements in the legal framework, progress on the ground remains slow," he added.
Qatar World Cup CEO Nasser Al Khater told CNN that immigrant worker reforms take time and cannot happen all at once.
"It's a change in culture, it's a change in behavior," he said.
"We would be lying and deceiving ourselves, if from one year to the next we can make those changes and think that everything will be solved."
Nasser Al Khater, CEO of the 2022 FIFA World Cup organization Qatar, gives a press conference at Al-Janoub Stadium in the capital Doha on September 25, 2019.
However, Goa maintains that Qatar had a long time to make those changes, but instead there have been many "false promises" over the years.
"If we look at reform from the point of view of immigrants, it has been slow," Goa said.
"The urgency has been lacking.
"It would be a grievance for immigrants who have endured significant suffering during this reform period for this to be portrayed as a consistent linear progress effort."
Ghimire, whose job as a human rights lawyer is to achieve justice for those who suffer, agrees with that assessment.
"Although there have been reforms here and there, when it comes to implementation, it is not as advertised," he said.
"Most of the workers don't even know that the reforms exist, while others say they are there just to show off."
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Players from Germany appear in jerseys reading "Human Rights" before the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifying match between Germany and Iceland on March 25, 2021 in Duisburg, Germany.
Diplomatic crisis
Qatar has risked its prestige in the 2022 World Cup, promising to tackle the migration crisis and help exploited workers.
But all eyes will be on the country as it simultaneously recovers from a double challenge: a regional diplomatic crisis and the Covid-19 pandemic.
The same year that the Gulf State signed its agreement with the ILO, in 2017, it faced an unprecedented diplomatic crisis, which it has barely resolved.
In summer, a group of countries, some of which had been its closest allies, cut diplomatic ties and launched an embargo on Qatar, including the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, with whom Qatar shares its only land border.
The group argued that Qatar supported terrorism and destabilized the region, claims that Doha has always claimed to be "unfounded."
The initial shock was sharp and immediate.
Qatar imports almost 90% of its food, so it was in a precarious situation to feed its population.
All while trying to plan one of the biggest sporting events in the world.
The embargo also had a disproportionate effect on immigrant workers, who make up the majority of the Qatari workforce.
At that time, under the
kafala
system
, migrant workers needed the employer's permission to obtain visas or leave the country.
Qatar had to rapidly develop supply chain systems, policies and networks to ensure the country could continue to function, Al Thawadi said.
The lessons he learned during that period were useful when the Covid-19 pandemic struck last year.
"We always saw obstacles and challenges as opportunities to grow and evolve. We became a very self-sufficient nation, which in the end became a blessing when the whole world was paralyzed by COVID," said Al Thawadi.
When COVID-19 began to spread, Qatar was not spared.
Their immigrant labor camps were at especially high risk of exposure to COVID-19, due to unsanitary conditions and overcrowding, human rights groups found.
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Amid a spike in cases, strict restrictions were applied to reduce the number of cases, which ultimately paid off.
Now, the country is slowly reopening, with more than half of the population fully vaccinated.
As more variants continue to spread around the world, the effects of covid-19 are likely to continue to be felt in 2022. And for a show like the World Cup, which is expected to be attended by millions of fans, its organizers acknowledge the challenges.
Al Khater assured CNN's Becky Anderson that Qatar has hosted "more than 100 tournaments and matches since September", such as the Asian Champions League, which has helped them prepare for future obstacles.
En estos partidos, han visto el regreso gradual de los aficionados a los estadios con un aforo reducido del 30%, así como la construcción de burbujas bioseguras para los jugadores y la realización de pruebas a todos los aficionados que asistieron.
"Tengo la esperanza de que en 2022 seamos el primer acontecimiento que, no solo reunirá a personas de diferentes orígenes, de diferentes sociedades y de diferentes ámbitos de la vida para celebrar lo que es el mayor acontecimiento del mundo", dijo Al Thawadi, "sino que creo que, lo que es más importante, celebraremos que todo el mundo se una para superar esta pandemia".
Crítica feroz
La parte más dura de cualquier maratón puede ser a menudo el tramo final hasta la línea de meta.
El CEO dijo a CNN que Qatar ha tenido un duro camino desde el comienzo de la carrera, y que se está volviendo más brutal.
"Siempre hay críticas con cualquier Copa del Mundo. No voy a decir que esto sea exclusivo de Qatar, pero creo que lo que es único es la ferocidad de las críticas. En cualquier caso, estaremos preparados, y sin duda será un gran Mundial", afirmó Al Khater.
A medida que se acerca la fecha, Al Thawadi afirma que el evento que ha estado planificando durante los últimos 10 años está "entre el 90 y el 95% completado".
Se trata de un progreso asombroso en comparación con anteriores Copas del Mundo, en las que a menudo los países anfitriones tenían dificultades para terminar todo a tiempo.
Cuatro de los estadios qataríes están terminados e inaugurados, uno está a punto de ser entregado y otros tres se encuentran en distintas fases de construcción.
Al Thawadi asegura que "a finales de este año, o a principios del próximo, como muy tarde, todos los estadios estarán terminados".
CNN habló con Al Thawadi en el estadio Al-Bayt, que significa "casa" en árabe, por lo que quizás sea apropiado que acoja el partido inaugural del torneo. En su afán por reflejar la herencia del país, el estadio tiene forma de tienda de campaña: un guiño a las tradiciones beduinas de Qatar, nómadas y acogedoras.
Una vista general del estadio Al-Bayt, el 19 de diciembre de 2019, en la ciudad de Al Khor, Qatar.
"La idea es que el mundo venga y esté en estadios que no solo sean punteros en cuanto a tecnología y sostenibilidad [...] sino que sean un fiel reflejo de nuestra cultura y patrimonio" dijo Al Thawadi.
La historia de esta Copa Mundial es, en muchos sentidos, la historia de Al Thawadi y Al Khater, que han sido los responsables de llevar a cabo el torneo.
Por mucho que reconozcan las críticas a su estructura laboral, su principal intención es que el evento sea un catalizador de cambio para la región y un vehículo de progreso.
Al preguntarle qué es lo que más le entusiasma, Al Khater dijo que es la gente.
"Recibir a los aficionados, ver la alegría en sus caras, saber que el país está orgulloso".
En cuanto a Al Thawadi, dice que todavía siente un poco de aprensión y estrés, pero que, en última instancia, se siente orgulloso del viaje hasta ahora y de su importancia para la región.
"Todo el mundo árabe está entusiasmado con este torneo. Es su torneo. Es nuestro torneo. Es una oportunidad para que el mundo nos vea como lo que somos: una nación hospitalaria, amistosa y apasionada por el deporte".
Es lo que es Qatar, el carácter de su nación, lo que es tan decisivo aquí, a pesar de lo lejos que ha llegado, será necesario un progreso significativo para dar forma al destino de su Copa del Mundo y, de cara al futuro, del propio país.
--Mohammed Al-Saiegh, Hannah Ritchie, Saffeya Ahmed e Isis Amusa, de CNN, contribuyeron con este reportaje.
Copa del MundoQatar 2022