Fans support need for compensation for migrant workers who lost their lives in Qatar, report says

September 15 – A large majority of football fans support compensation for migrant workers in Qatar and their families, according to a survey commissioned by Amnesty International.

Earlier this year, a coalition of human rights groups called on FIFA and World Cup host Qatar to compensate migrant workers and their families for rights abuses they suffered with the #PayUpFIFA campaign, demanding a fund of $440 million, the equivalent of the prize money that will be offered at the World Finals.

But while football stakeholders have remained largely indifferent, a YouGov poll of over 17,000 adults in 15 countries reveals that football fans support the call to action. The countries studied were Argentina, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Kenya, Mexico, Morocco, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Switzerland, the Kingdom -United and the United States.

Almost three-quarters (73%) of adults surveyed support the call for a fund and more than two-thirds (67%) want their national football associations to speak out publicly on human rights issues associated with World Cup in Qatar.

“These results send a clear message to football leaders. People around the world are united in their desire to see FIFA step in and redress the suffering endured by migrant workers in Qatar. They also want to see their associations take a much tougher stance,” said Steve Cockburn, Economic and Social Justice Manager at Amnesty International.

"FIFA takes note of the survey carried out on behalf of Amnesty International, with respondents from 10 countries in Europe and five countries from the rest of the world," said the world governing body, which affirmed in last May that it was evaluating the proposal. for a fund.

"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 organization of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022."

Fans may be supportive, but the World Cup finalists' football associations have been far less forthcoming. A survey carried out last month by the English daily The Independent revealed that no member association publicly supported the idea. The Belgian, Danish, Dutch, English, German and Norwegian federations have however expressed their support for the principle.

“The NFF fully supports the idea of ​​supplementing existing remedies [for migrant workers in Qatar],” Football Federation of Norway president Lise Klaveness said recently.

“Qatar is not fulfilling the historical abuse obligation. We need to be very concrete now and not just sit back and yell at the award twelve years ago.”

Norway did not qualify for the World Cup, however, and with their limited world weight, it will take a major national federation to come forward publicly to get the ball rolling.

"With less than 50 days to go, time is running out," Cockburn said. "But there is still time for FIFA to do the right thing. Fans do not want a World Cup indelibly tainted by human rights abuses. The past is irreversible, but a compensation program is a clear and simple way for FIFA and Qatar to offer at least some measure of redress to the hundreds of thousands of workers who made this tournament possible."

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