Qatar World Cup organisers admit workers were exploited during the Club World Cup and the Arab Cup

Qatar’s World Cup organisers have admitted that workers were exploited while contracted to work at the Club World Cup in 2020 and the Arab Cup in 2021. The acknowledgement followed an investigation from Amnesty International which said security guards in Qatar had to work in conditions it called “forced labour” by exceeding the 60-hour minimum work week and not having a day off for months or even years.

Ad/> “Three companies were found to be non-compliant across a number of areas,” Qatar World Cup organisers said in a statement. /> World Cup'I was in shock' — Van Dijk on Netherlands coach Van Gaal's cancer diagnosis04/04/2022 AT 17:53 “These violations were completely unacceptable and led to a range of measures being enforced, including placing contractors on a watch-list or black-list to avoid them working on future projects – including the FIFA World Cup – before reporting said contractors to the Ministry of Labour for further investigation and punitive action.” The organisers have not provided details of abuse that involved subcontractors.

World Cup organisers said in 2014 that it had introduced measures to protect the health and safety of workers in Qatar, but Amnesty international report the exploitation has continued; particularly in the private security sector. World Cup: Key dates and biggest matches at Qatar 2022 World Cup draw as it happened “Many of the security guards we spoke to knew their employers were breaking the law but felt powerless to challenge them,” said Amnesty International's Head of Economic and Social Justice Stephen Cockburn.

“Physically and emotionally exhausted, workers kept reporting for duty under threat of financial penalties — or worse, contract termination or deportation. «Despite the