Criminal case is opened over death of migrant worker during Qatar World Cup

27.03.2023 - 21:17 theguardian.com

Qatari authorities have opened criminal proceedings against the employer of a Filipino migrant worker who died at a World Cup training base during the tournament last year.

Salam Petroleum is being investigated after the worker, named only as Alexander, fell when fixing a set of lights at Sealine Beach resort, which hosted the Saudi Arabia national team during Qatar 2022.

A court will now consider the case after it was initiated by Qatar’s public prosecution. It follows an earlier investigation into the circumstances of the worker’s death, which was not made public until some days after the incident.

He is understood to have slipped off a ramp while walking alongside a forklift truck on a private road within the resort. There were unverified suggestions in the aftermath that he may not have been wearing a safety harness at the time, and that a third worker was not present to assist with the task.

FIFA cup Qatar Doha Saudi Arabia Philippines

Saudi Arabia defender Yasser Al-Shahrani returned to training with his club Al-Hilal on Thursday, 133 days after suffering a serious injury during their stunning 2-1 victory over Argentina at the World Cup in Qatar last year.

Broken promises? Future of Qatar’s World Cup stadiums still up in the air

T he workers’ accommodation next to Ahmad bin Ali Stadium is at least two thirds empty now. Those who remain can make the short walk from the central block to the mess room, where food and drink are available. The other two structures have virtually been hollowed out since the World Cup: one of the alleys between them is all but blocked by a pile of bedframes and mattresses, of which there are plenty because the inhabitants lived four to a room. Presumably someone, at some point, will arrive to clear up the extensive clutter; further behind is a spread of binbags and other trash. An employee estimates 100 men remain: they are contracted to the two firms who built the venue and, while the showpiece event is long gone, there is still work to be done here.

‘Legacy, what legacy?’ Fight goes on for migrant workers in Qatar 100 days after World Cup

T he grass inside Lusail Stadium is lush, richly coloured, moist. One hundred days after the World Cup final, the pitch is still watered daily and cut once a week; a team of around 30 workers are on hand to maintain the site. Empty white seats glare from stands that once housed swaying, jubilant Argentina fans; an unseasonable wind whistles under the roof that once held in their songs. The nearby boulevard, where Lionel Messi and his victorious teammates paraded into the December night, is almost empty save for groups of south Asian workers, cloths covering their heads to protect them from the midday sun, filling in the gaps between paving slabs with fresh cement.

‘I haven’t earned a single rial’: Qatar migrant labourers left stranded and jobless after the World Cup

M igrant workers from west Africa say they have been left stranded, destitute and jobless in Qatar just 100 days after the end of the World Cup, despite claims that the tournament would leave a legacy of better workers’ rights in the country.

Canadian men's soccer team blanks Curacao in 1st outing since World Cup in Qatar

First-half goals by Jonathan David and Cyle Larin lifted Canada — in its first outing since the World Cup in Qatar — to a 2-0 win over host Curacao in CONCACAF Nations League play Saturday night.