Speaking at the launch of the 2022 FIFA World Cup Legacy Fund, Steve Cockburn, Head of Labor Rights and Sport at Amnesty International, said:
“It is scandalous that FIFA and Qatar have launched their long-awaited legacy fund without any recognition of their obvious responsibility to the many, many workers who were exploited and, many, died to return the FIFA World Cup world 2022 possible. Providing money for global initiatives to support refugees and protect workers from the effects of extreme heat is important. However, currently the fund does absolutely nothing for families who have lost a loved one in Qatar and fallen into poverty following their death.
“By failing to compensate workers and their families for the serious harm suffered in Qatar, FIFA is blatantly ignoring its own human rights guidelines and will likely also ignore the findings of its own study -even ordered – which have not yet been published. As long as FIFA continues to bury its head in the sand, workers and their families will continue to suffer the consequences.
“After calls for compensation from fans, players, sponsors and football federations around the world, this legacy fund cannot be the end of the story. FIFA must finally do the right thing by providing genuine redress to all those whose rights have been violated as a result of its flagship competition. »
Additional information
On Wednesday 27 November, FIFA announced that it was launching a US$50 million 2022 World Cup Legacy Fund in partnership with Qatar, which will provide funding to the World Cup Organization. (WHO), the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
This fund does not include any compensation for injured workers, although it does provide a contribution to the WHO’s “Beat the Heat” program, which aims to protect workers from heat stress in the future. . Amnesty International has denounced the numerous deaths of people working in extreme heat in Qatar, and it is likely that workers will also be exposed to high risks during the preparations for the 2034 World Cup in Saudi Arabia.
Ahead of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, a broad coalition of human rights organizations, professional unions, fan organizations and players’ unions have called on FIFA to set aside at least $440 million from states -United to compensate workers – the equivalent of the bonuses provided for the participating teams. The call was backed by a number of football federations and FIFA sponsors, while opinion polls showed broad public support. However, it was ignored by FIFA.
In March 2023, FIFA commissioned an independent review to determine whether it had a responsibility to provide reparations for human rights violations committed in connection with the World Cup. The findings of this study have not yet been published, but it appears that it recommends granting reparations to a very large number of workers.
Previous FIFA legacy funds for World Cups held in South Africa, Brazil and Russia were reportedly worth $100 million each – double that of Qatar. The 2022 World Cup brought in more than seven billion dollars for FIFA.
