Almost three-quarters of adults across 15 countries believe FIFA should use World Cup revenues to compensate workers who suffered in the preparation of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, a YouGov poll commissioned by Amnesty International has found.
Some 67 per cent of those polled also want their national Football Associations to speak publicly about the human rights issues associated with the tournament, including calling for migrant workers to be compensated.
Support is even higher – at 84 per cent – among those likely to watch at least one game at the tournament, and the majority also believe FIFA should establish this remediation programme before the World Cup kicks off on November 20.
The FA believes any injury or death should be compensated and is supportive of the creation of a Migrant Workers Centre, while FA chief executive Mark Bullingham has been praised for being one of the most forthright voices pushing for the creation of a compensation fund.
The World Cup will start on November 20
The poll surveyed more than 17,000 adults across 15 countries, including Argentina, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Kenya, Mexico, Morocco, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Switzerland, UK, and the USA. Of these, 54 per cent said they were likely to watch at least one game at the World Cup.
“These findings send a clear message to football’s leadership. Across the globe, people are united in their desire to see FIFA step up and make amends for the suffering endured by migrant workers in Qatar. They also want to see their national associations take a much firmer stance,” Steve Cockburn, Amnesty International’s head of economic and social justice, said.
“With less than 50 days until kick off, the clock is ticking. But there is still time for FIFA to do the right thing. Supporters don’t want a World Cup that’s indelibly tainted by human rights abuses. The past cannot be undone, but a compensation programme is a clear and simple way that FIFA and Qatar can provide at least some measure of redress to the hundreds of thousands of workers who made this tournament possible.”
The findings back the #PayUpFIFA campaign launched by a coalition of human rights organisations – including Amnesty International- fans groups and trade unions in May 2022, which calls on FIFA to set aside a fund to compensate workers and prevent future abuses.
The coalition demands FIFA sets aside a minimum of £382m ($440m) for the fund – the equivalent it hands out in prize money at the World Cup. FIFA will make an estimated £5.2bn ($6bn) in revenues from the tournament.
Construction work was carried out in Qatar’s capital of Doha ahead of the tournament
The English FA’s position remains that they are stronger as a collective group of national federations, rather than all having individual approaches on such an important matter, and CEO Bullingham is part of the UEFA Working Group that has submitted proposals to FIFA as a collective.
The group has agreed any injury or death should be compensated and they are in support of the creation of a migrant workers centre, and they are awaiting next steps from FIFA and the Qatar Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy on these points, as they examine compensation mechanisms and the concept of the centre in detail.
The FA is pushing for the creation of a compensation fund and the president of the Norwegian FA, Lise Klaveness, said recently Bullingham “is a very high-level participant in the meetings” on this issue.
She said: “There are very good leaders that try to work [for change] on the inside. We have England, for example. I view them as a very constructive federation.”
The Lusail Stadium in Dohai was converted to host the 2022 World Cup final
FIFA issued a statement which read: “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 on the question of labour standards and protections in Qatar.
“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.
“As recognised by independent experts, such as the International Labour Organization and international unions, a wide range of measures have been implemented over the past years to improve protections for workers in Qatar, and these developments have come about largely as a consequence of the World Cup being played in the country.
“This also includes FIFA and its partners in Qatar applying pressure on companies when needed to ensure remediation of workers involved in FIFA World Cup preparations. Workers have been compensated in various forms where companies failed to uphold the Workers’ Welfare Standards of the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC), which is the standard used by FIFA and the host country to ensure the protection of workers involved in FIFA World Cup-related activities.
“These measures were complemented by the steps taken by the Ministry of Labour to enforce Qatari labour law and provide for access to remediation, such as through the Workers’ Support and Insurance Fund.
“FIFA will continue its efforts to enable remediation for workers who may have been adversely impacted in relation to FIFA World Cup-related work in accordance with its Human Rights Policy and responsibilities under relevant international standards.”