FIFA Faces New Attack Over Rights In World Cup Host Qatar

Lingering divisions over FIFA's decision to hold the World Cup in Qatar overshadowed the annual congress of football's world governing body on Thursday, forcing its president Gianni Infantino to insist that the event had already brought change to the Arab state. Just 235 days from the start of the first World Cup in the Middle East, a rare female voice in international football stood up at the congress to state that awarding the event to Qatar 12 years ago had been "unacceptable" because of its human rights record.

Lise Klaveness, head of the Norwegian football association, said FIFA had to act as a "role model" over human rights and other moral issues such as Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Debate over Qatar diverted attention from Infantino's announcement that he would be standing for a new term in 2023 and that FIFA would make a record seven billion dollars in revenue for its 2019-2022 accounting cycle.

Much of that comes from television and marketing revenues linked to the Qatar World Cup but FIFA and the hosts have repeatedly been forced onto the defensive over the event.

Klaveness highlighted human rights in the host country.

"The migrant workers injured or the families of those who died in the build-up to the World Cup must be cared for," she said in a speech at the end of the carefully choreographed congress when individual federations were allowed to speak out.

Workers and minority rights

A handful of workers have died building new World Cup stadiums in the country but international agencies have sought improvements to Qatar's general labour record.

"There is no room for employers who do not ensure the freedom and safety of World Cup workers," she added.

All World Cup hosts had to guarantee the rights of gay and