"FIFA urge Qatar 2022 to speed up labour reform process at second Organising Committee meeting", 08 December 2015

he welfare of migrants working on construction sites for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar was one of the key topics at the second meeting of the tournament’s Organising Committee, with acting FIFA secretary general Markus Kattner urging the Qatari Government to “accelerate the labour reform process”. The issue has been one of the key concerns in the build-up to the competition, along with allegations of corruption surrounding the bid process, particularly after the publication of high death toll figures among migrant workers. It has been claimed around 1,200 people working in the construction industry have died in Qatar since 2010. The issue prompted human rights group Amnesty International to accuse Qatar 2022 and FIFA of doing too little to address "rampant migrant labour abuse" on the eve of the five year anniversary of the gulf nation being controversially awarded the hosting rights to the tournament. World football’s governing body has also been criticised for supposedly turning a blind eye to "appalling" living and working conditions facing migrant workers in Qatar. Workers are allegedly expected to live in squalid housing with limited toilet facilities and poor cooking amenities, and it is claimed they are often not paid their full amount and are forced to hand over their passports on arrival so they cannot leave the country...