World Cup Fans Call On FIFA To Compensate Qatar’s Migrant Workers Over Mistreatment 

The world’s largest human rights organization Amnesty International has published a new study showing that the majority of soccer fans from 15 countries have called on FIFA to compensate migrant workers who have helped provide this World Cup in Qatar.

Amnesty International and other rights groups have called on FIFA to set aside $440 million (€441 million) to compensate migrant workers in Qatar for human rights abuses since May.

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The Amnesty survey found that 73% of 17,000 supporters from 15 countries backed the proposal, while 10% were against it.

“There is still time for FIFA to do the right thing,” Amnesty’s Steve Cockburn said in a statement.

“Supporters don’t want a World Cup that’s indelibly tainted by human rights abuses.”

The poll surveyed adults in ten European countries plus Kenya, Morocco, Argentina, Mexico and the United States. 

Two-thirds of respondents also said their national football associations should speak out publicly about the human rights issues surrounding the Russia World Cup, according to a poll by Transparency International.

The government of Qatar has long been criticized for the mistreatment of migrant workers, who mainly come from countries like India, Pakistan and Nepal.

FIFA said a wide range of measures had been implemented in recent years to improve protection for workers in Qatar, noting that workers preparing for the World Cup had already been paid $22.6 million as of December 2021.

“FIFA takes note of the poll conducted on behalf of Amnesty International, featuring respondents from 10 countries in Europe and five countries from the rest of the world,” the governing body said in a statement.

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“Respondents may not be fully aware of the measures implemented in recent years by FIFA and its partners in Qatar to protect workers involved in the delivery of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.”

Human rights groups have criticized Qatar’s treatment of foreign labourers, since the country won the right to host the World Cup, in 2010.