FIFA footballers union complained about the arrest in Qatar of an agent who denounced workers’ conditions at the 2022 World Cup

The International Federation of Professional Footballers Associations (FIFPRO) on Tuesday denounced the arrest in Qatar of a Kenyan security agent after criticizing the working conditions of migrants employed by this Gulf country where the next World Cup will be held.

Emirate often criticized by international NGOs for its treatment of thousands of immigrants who come from Africa and Asia to work on the works of one of the biggest sporting events in the world.

“FIFPRO está preocupada por la detención en Qatar, el 4 de mayo, by Malcolm Bidali, a Keniano security officer who has written a blog sober la suerte de los trabajadores migrantes”, indicó el sindicato en un comunicado en el que se precisó What the arrested man had “spoken with union officials about his experiences on the labor market in the country”.

“All footballers are concerned about the human rights situation in Qatar in the run-up to the 2022 World Cup and they want to know how they can play an active role in bringing lasting change to the host country,” added FIFPRO.

Qatari official confirmed to press agency AFP that “a Kenyan citizen has been arrested and is under investigation for violating Qatari security laws and regulations”, without specifying the charges against him. “All investigative processes comply with Qatari law”this source added.

Amnesty International called on Qatar to “say urgently where Malcolm Bidal isi (…) victim of an enforced disappearance since May 4 ”. “A week before his arrest, Malcolm explained his experience working in Qatar to a large group of civil society organizations and unions,” the NGO said in a document last week.

Amnesty had already called on FIFA in March to put more pressure on Qatar so that the country improves the working conditions of immigrants. According to this NGO, “positive reforms” have already been carried out since the emirate was chosen to host the 2022 World Cup, but they are not “correctly applied and thousands of immigrant workers continue to be victims of exploitation and abuse“.

According to the latest update of the Foundation for International Democracy’s Behind the Passion report released earlier this month, there are already more than 6,500 workers killed, an average of 12 lives per week since 2010. The president of the Federation of Human Rights Museums, Guillermo Whpei, denounced human rights violations in Qatar, where thousands of immigrants from Nepal, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Philippines and Kenya travel to work in related constructions. World Cup that will take place next year: roads, railways, stadiums, hotels and convention centers, among others.

Qatar has around two million migrant workers who represent 95% of the workforce. Almost 40% work in the construction sector, which experienced a rebound at the dawn of the infrastructure planned to host the most important sports competition in the world.

Workers are forced to work between 16 and 18 hours a day, 7 days a week, withstanding temperatures that reach 50 degrees. “As if that were not enough, the homes they offer are small spaces in which they live overcrowded, without having minimum hygiene conditions,” denounced the Foundation.

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With information from AFP