As the eyes of the world are on Qatar, the grounds of the World Cup taking place there, but also the condition of workers in the country, Doha and Fifa have confirmed the death of an employee on the sidelines of the competition, on an unspecified date, in press releases relayed by The Athletic website (link in English and paid) Wednesday, December 7. The Supreme Committee, organizer of the event, disputes any link between this accident and the World Cup.
According to The Athletic, which cites several anonymous sources, this man succumbed to an accidental fall while he was working in the parking lot of a hotel serving as a base camp for the selection of Saudi Arabia, Saline Beach, in Mesaieed. Responsible for repairing the lights, he fell from a ramp while walking next to a forklift, details the site, which specifies that he was not wearing a safety harness.
The Athletic presents the victim as a man in his forties, named Alex and a national of the Philippines. “The Philippine Embassy in Doha is still investigating this case”the Philippine Ministry of Foreign Affairs told AFP.
An investigation into open security procedures
“Fifa is deeply saddened by this tragedy, and our hearts go out to the family of this worker.”replied the organization in a press release sent to the website, in which it said it had asked “more details” to the Qatari authorities. Interviewed on the sidelines of a meeting by SNTV agencyFIFA Secretary General Fatma Samoura declined to comment on the death, considering that the issue was not “appropriate”.
The Qatari Supreme Committee in charge of the organization of the World Cup affirms for its part not to have taken up this accident, affirming that it occurred “on a property that is not under [sa] jurisdiction”and that the victim “worked for a subcontractor who does not depend on” organisation.
Qatari authorities tell The Athletic that an investigation has been opened. “If it concludes that safety procedures were not followed, the company will be subject to legal action and significant financial penalties”, continues Doha, which claims to have paid in 2022 more than 350 million dollars, through a fund, in compensation for accidents at work or unpaid wages. NGOs and national football federations are calling for the establishment of a specific fund for people who have worked on projects related to the World Cup, which Qatar has always refused.
Qatar claims that 37 workers working on construction sites linked to the World Cup died during the preparations for it, only three of them in the course of their work, and that the total number of victims of fatal work accidents in the country rose to 414 between 2014 and 2020. Counts denounced as underestimated by several NGOs, which point to the significant mortality of foreign workers in the country (at least 6,500 between 2011 and 2020 according to a count of the Guardian) and the propensity of authorities to declare most deaths as natural.
