English translation of an archived publication. The roles, rules and references cited reflect its original publication date.
According to a Guardian investigation dated 23 February, more than 6,500 migrant workers are reported to have died on construction sites building sports facilities since Qatar was awarded the football World Cup in 2010.
Given Qatar’s considerable ambitions, these deaths tarnish the country’s image. On this basis, some observers accuse Qatar of understating its death toll, which is much lower (around 37 deaths), while FIFA has decided to reaffirm its support for the country.
Nevertheless, the allegations against the host country, if substantiated, contravene FIFA’s human rights policy, under which it has undertaken “to respect all human rights (...) and to promote their protection”.
Unthinkable for the Norwegian team, whose players launched an initiative supporting migrant workers and alerting FIFA. They wore shirts bearing the words: “Human rights, on and off the pitch”.
The German and Dutch teams also conveyed similar messages.
Other football clubs have called for a boycott: will they follow through?
📷 Christian Chesnot