Brought to you by Exploited Migrant Workers

LUCIA MEJIA explores the grotesque, behinds-the-scenes, human rights story of this World Cup.

Satellite image of Arabian Peninsula, with Qatar highlighted in red circle. MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA Public Domain.

Arguably the largest and most anticipated sporting event in the world, the World Cup began on Sunday November 20th. The President of FIFA, Gianni Infantino, estimated that the tournament drew over 5 billion viewers worldwide by the time the final match came to an end on December 18th.

While Infantino shares a seemingly heartfelt sentiment that “...at the end, [they] simply want to give some joy and some smiles to people all over the world… that’s what the FIFA World Cup is about”, the feel-good statement is tainted by the deaths of over 6,500 people. There was labor abuse and exploitation of countless others throughout the years since Qatar’s bid for hosting the World Cup was accepted in 2010. Since then, Qatar has invested around 300 billion US dollars in the development of infrastructure for the event according to Bloomberg. This includes the building of eight new stadiums, an airport extension, a hospital, shopping centers, hotels, and a metro link to connect all of these.

Like other Arab gulf countries, Qatar uses the Kafala system for much of their labor force practice. In fact, of the 2.8 million people that currently reside in Qatar, only about 300,000 are Qatari. Over 90% of the workforce is made up of migrant workers. The issue is that this system results in a terrible imbalance of power by giving private citizens and companies almost all control over the employment and immigration status of the workers they’re sponsoring. On top of this, being a sponsor often comes with legal impunity because, while there are standards of labor rights employers must adhere to, the migrant workforce is often intentionally excluded from local labor policy.

This system counts on companies to pay travel and living expenses for the migrants they sponsor, Many companies end up using private recruiting agencies that are paid, not by the companies, but by the workers seeking jobs. This scenario often leaves the workers in a mountain of debt before even migrating for work. To say that migrant workers in Qatar are being trafficked or that they are modern day slaves isn’t an exaggeration.

Investigations of this situation conducted by The Guardian heard first-hand accounts from laborers going without food or water for over 24 hours and being forced to work in the Qatari summer temperatures that can soar well over 100 degrees. They’re forced to reside in hostels that are filthy and crammed with as many as 12 men in a room which has led to many becoming sick.

This is particularly jarring in light of the COVID-19 pandemic where some workers were taken to detention facilities in even worse conditions, and then deported after being told they would be taken to get tested and then released. Other reports and investigations had very similar findings. Despite these indignities, choosing to leave and find better employment is not an option for these migrants as the kafala system allows the sponsors to withhold their passports and pay, preventing them from departing the country.

Sharon Burrow of the International Trade Center Conference went so far as to say: “Qatar is a slave state.” The investigations and findings thereof have not fallen entirely on deaf ears. Since 2015, many countries, celebrities, organizations, and even soccer teams have spoken out on the labor abuse that takes place in Qatar, among other things like the country’s prohibitive stance on LGBTQIA+ rights. Some European countries were threatening to boycott the event entirely in the months before the World Cup started.

Some actions on the field by a few teams were notable. For instance, Germany’s team covered their mouths for photos after they were being threatened with sanctions if they wore a “Love” armband in protest. There are companies like Mojo Supermarket that took a more creative and arguably more impactful approach. Mojo’s campaign labeled “anti-logos” reworking the sponsorship brands of many companies like McDonalds, Adidas, Sony, Hyundai, Visa, Kia, and more notably, FIFA, and the UN to demonstrate the labor abuse in Qatar. The anti-logo for FIFA which was displayed at FIFA’s Headquarters looked like a normal FIFA sponsorship but read “FIFA Proud Sponsors of the Slavery Cup.” For this project, the agency also distributed passports all over London and New York with every single one displaying the names, faces, and stories of eleven migrant workers that died for the World Cup.

In response to the criticisms, FIFA began by stating they would be conducting investigations. This is a step in the right direction when companies actually do their due diligence. But eventually, FIFA failed to do that, and instead retaliated on critics, particularly those from the west, for their hypocrisy. FIFA’s point of view was that Europe should be “apologizing for 3000 years before starting to give moral lessons to people.” FIFA also pointed out that many European countries make billions by outsourcing labor to places like Qatar and have nothing to say of that.

By Nomeez