Fifa chairman Gianni Infantino fired in confusing comments for the second time this year. Infantino did not dispute the number of migrant workers who died in Qatar, but claimed only three people died at the stadium sites.
President of the International Football Association Fifa Gianni Infantino attended an international conference in Los Angeles hosted by the Milken Institute of Economic Incubator on Monday. On the occasion, Infantino had to be grilled by journalists as the questions focused on the well-being and conditions of the stadium workers at the Qatar World Cup next winter.
Infantino was initially asked if Fifa intended to use the financial profits from the Games to help the families of the dead workers in the stadiums built for the Games. The Italian-Swiss organization leader toured the U.S. journalist Stephanie Ruhlen instead spoke about the minimum wage and improved working conditions for workers.
– One thing will not be forgotten when discussing this. When we talk about this topic, that is, work that is heavy or even hard. This country (the United States) is also a land of migrants. My parents also moved from Italy to Switzerland. Not so far away, but anyway, Infantino began his meandering narration.
– When someone is given a job, even in difficult circumstances, they are given dignity and pride at the same time. It is not charity, it is not done.
However, journalist Ruhle pointed out that it is only a matter of building stadiums on the ground where the World Cup will be held.
– Specifically. Still, it is also a matter of pride for us to be able to change the conditions of these 1.5 million people. It makes us very proud, the chairman of Fifa continued, referring to the number of people working at the venues in Qatar.
“Fifa is not a world police officer”
British newspaper Guardian reported in February 2021 (moving to another service)that more than 6,500 migrant workers from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka had died in construction projects related to the 2010-2020 Games. The number of deaths is based on official data from the countries.
According to the Guardian, the death toll is likely to be much higher, as people from Kenya and the Philippines, for example, have not been recruited in Qatar and have not received accurate data.
Also the human rights organization Amnesty International has examined (you are moving to another service) deaths of migrant workers and found out that Qatar has tried to hide the causes of the workers ’deaths so that it does not have to pay compensation to the worker’s homeland after his death.
– The long and heavy working hours commissioned by the World Cup host in a harsh hot climate are life-threatening for workers, the Amnesty report says.
Ruhle also raised Deaths at a conference at the Milken Institute when he put questions to Infantino. The chairman of Fifa did not directly dispute the claim based on the Guardian report. However, he said only three workers would have died at the stadium sites in the Qatar World Cup.
– The other 6,000 may have died in other work situations, but Fifa is not the world police or responsible for everything that happens in the world. But, thanks to Fifa and football, we have been able to fix the space of these one and a half million people, Infantino said.
Infantino also said, according to the AP, that Qatar had a system of “modern slavery” in place before Qatar began dismantling its so-called kafala system in 2018.
Infantino’s comments regarding the workers have not provoked his first outrage this year. Earlier in January, he said Fifa would seek to host the World Cup every two years so that the organization could bring hope to Africans so they would not have to travel illegally across the Mediterranean to Europe.
– Through this arrangement, we need to find ways to include the whole world with us. In this way, we must give Africans hope that they do not have to cross the Mediterranean just to find happiness in Europe, or more likely to die at sea, Infantino said in front of the Council of Europe (moving to another service).
The football world was appalled by the comments. Infantino claimed to have been misinterpreted.
The FIFA World Cup will be held in Qatar from November 21-18. December 2022.