Conference call: renewed request to FIFA to establish a compensation fund for migrant workers from Qatar

March 14 – On the eve of the FIFA Congress and the renewal of his vows by President Gianni Infantino in Kigali, Amnesty and one million signatories of the petition called on FIFA to compensate migrant workers who suffered human and labor rights abuses in Qatar.

It's a problem that apparently won't go away for the world federation. After years of scrutiny by media, human rights groups and NGOs, Amnesty and activist nonprofit Avaaz have again called on Zurich to "stop looking the other way". They also handed over blue work clothes and yellow vests worn by migrant workers in Qatar.

“Workers suffered horrific abuse to help run a World Cup tournament that brought billions to FIFA, but came at a human cost in indebted families and worker deaths,” said Steve Cockburn of Amnesty. “While nothing can replace the loss of a loved one, there is no doubt that FIFA has the resources to help right these injustices and provide life-changing support for workers and their families.”

The world governing body generated a record $7.5 billion from the 2022 World Cup cycle, with Infantino repeatedly touting the event as "the best" global final ever, but details on the "legacy fund" remain vague. FIFA said the fund would focus on education and a center of labor excellence.

At the FIFA Congress, the Football Federation of Norway and its President Lise Klaveness will again raise the issue of human rights, calling on FIFA to "evaluate whether it has fulfilled its responsibility to remedy the the 2022 World Cup, including an investigation into World Cup-related deaths and injuries."

It will be a rare dissenting note at FIFA's annual meeting which, under Gianni Infantino, has become more of a processional procedure through a highly scripted agenda rather than a forum for sharing ideas, global concerns and proposals for the global game. During last year's Congress in Doha, Klaveness also highlighted human rights as well as discrimination against minorities, which prompted a furious reaction from the Secretary General of the Supreme Committee , Hassan Al Tawadi.

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