He underlined that the EP adopted a resolution on the human rights situation in Qatar on Thursday. MEPs stress the Gulf state won the bid to host the FIFA World Cup amid credible allegations of bribery and corruption.
They also regret the deaths of thousands of migrant workers, mainly in the construction sector, during the preparations for the World Cup, as well as all the injuries.
Describing corruption at FIFA as “widespread, systemic and entrenched”, MEPs also regret that the process of awarding the right to host the 2010 World Cup to Qatar has not been transparent and has not been assessed responsibly. They claim that FIFA has caused serious damage to the image and integrity of world football.
EP urges EU Member States, especially those with major national football leagues such as Germany, France, Italy and Spain, to put pressure on UEFA and FIFA to radically reform FIFA, for example by introducing democratic and transparent procedures for awarding the venue of the Human Rights World Cup, as well as applying strict human rights and sustainability criteria to host countries.
In order to protect athletes and fans and to end the use of sport to promote bad reputation, the right to host international sporting events should not be granted to countries where fundamental and human rights are violated and where the systematic violence of genre is widespread.
Likewise, all victims of the preparatory work must receive compensation
The resolution welcomes the fact that, according to the International Labor Organisation, the Qatari government has repaid $320 million to victims of wage abuse through the “Employee Support and Insurance Fund”.
However, MEPs regret that many Qatari workers and their families remain excluded from the scope of the fund and call for the inclusion of all those who have suffered since the start of preparations for the FIFA World Cup, including the deaths of workers and other human rights violations.
They are calling on FIFA to contribute to a comprehensive compensation scheme for workers’ families to compensate them for the working conditions they suffered.
An estimated 94% of the country’s workforce is made up of over 2 million foreign nationals.
Recognizing the significant contribution of migrant workers to the Qatari economy and to the 2022 FIFA World Cup, EP urges the Qatari authorities to carry out a full investigation into the deaths of migrant workers and to compensate families whose members died as a result of working conditions.
The EP supports Qatar’s recent efforts to improve conditions and workers’ rights after the international community started talking about it, but calls for the full implementation of the adopted reforms.
MEPs also deplore the abusive treatment of the LGBTQ+ community by state authorities, for example through legislation allowing LGBTQ+ people to be detained for up to six months without charge or trial.
The resolution also urged Qatar to strengthen gender equality measures, including removing remnants of women’s guardianship, while stepping up efforts to increase women’s representation in the formal labor market.
