The Gulf emirate is facing harsh criticism over deaths, injuries and non-payment of wages to foreign workers.
whatHow many of the workers have died during the construction of the stadiums that now receive the fifa world cup games? It depends on who you ask.
Workers killed in Qatar
According to a report in the British newspaper Guardian published in February 2021, more than 6,500 migrant workers from four Southeast Asian countries — Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka — have died since Qatar won the 2022 World Cup title in 2010.
The report in the British newspaper is based on statistics provided by the governments of these countries, the main providers of labor for this nation. However, the figure may be much higher, since data from other countries from which many workers have also left for Qatar are not included, such as the Philippines and Kenya.
As soon as Qatar was chosen as the World Cup host, the country launched an ambitious program of infrastructure construction. In addition to the stadiums to host the games, the emirate had to build a new airport, public transport systems, hotels and even a new city, Lusali, where the final will be played.
In the construction of World Cup stadiums alone, 37 workers have been recorded dead, but 34 of these deaths have been classified as “non-work related” by the Qatari authorities, such as “heart failure.”