Qatar World Cup chief Hassan Al-Thawadi says between 400-500 migrant workers died as a result of the work done on the tournament.
The World Cup being awarded to Qatar has been shrouded in controversy ever since the nation won the bid in December 2010.
One of the biggest controversies has been surrounding the treatment of migrant workers involved in the infrastructure of the tournament.
The Times reported in February 2021 that 6,500 migrant workers had lost their lives in Qatar since they were awarded the World Cup.
When asked about the number of fatalities to migrant workers as a result of the work done in the tournament, Al-Thawadi told Piers Morgan: “The estimate is around 400, between 400-500.
“I don’t have the exact number, that’s something that’s been discussed. One death is a death too many, plain and simple.”
Al-Thawadi added: “I think every year the health and safety standards on the sites are improving, at least on our sites.
“The World Cup sites that we were responsible for, most definitely to the extent that you’ve got trade unions – representatives of the German trade union, representatives of the Swiss trade union have commended the work that’s been done on the World Cup sites and the improvement.”
When asked if the health and safety standards were good enough at the beginning of the project, Al-Thawadi said: “I think overall the need for labour reform itself dictates that yes, improvements have to happen.
“Just so we’re clear, this was something we recognised before we bid. The improvements that have happened aren’t because of the World Cup. These are improvements that we knew that we had to do because of our own values.
“Improvements that had to happen whether it’s our health and safety standards, whether it’s in terms of improving the accommodation standards, whether it’s in terms of dismantling the Kafala System.
“The World Cup served as a vehicle, an accelerator, as a catalyst because of the spotlight which we recognised early on was going to be shed. It caused a lot of initiative not only in terms of improvement in isolation but in terms of enforcing it as well.
“And that’s where today we got to a position where our most ardent of critics consider us to be a benchmark in the region.”
Qatar’s treatment of people from the LGBTQ+ community has also been heavily criticised ever since the World Cup was given to Qatar.
It’s been a topic during the tournament with England and seven other European nations being told to not wear ‘OneLove’ armbands during matches.
The likes of Harry Kane opted not to wear the armbands amid suggestions that he and other captains would be sanctioned with an immediate yellow card, and other possible punishments.
On the armband issues, Al-Thawadi said: “If it was done specifically to address Qatar, I have a problem with it. If it was something that was going to be done and the European nations were going to be wearing it constantly then that’s up to them.”
On the yellow cards for those wearing the ‘OneLove’ armbands, Al-Thawadi responded: “It’s a decision that FIFA’s made between them and the European nations and it became a stand-off. That was a discussion between them.”
Al-Thawadi also insisted that it is safe for gay people to be in or live in Qatar.
He said: “It’s safe for everybody to be in Qatar, yes. Unequivocally, Piers, yes. I think it’s safe for everybody to live in Qatar, Piers.”
When asked about gay people using a demonstrative display of affection in Qatar, Al-Thawadi said: “Public displays of affection are generally not part of our culture. Public display of affection is not part of our culture, regardless of who you are or your sexual identification.
“I mean that within reason. Holding hands in streets is fine. Holding hands in the streets for anyone is fine.
“Public intimacy is not a part of our culture, we’re a very conservative culture.”
He added: “From our position, and my personal position, we’ve always said everyone’s welcome.
“We’ve worked hard to create an environment and to ensure that people from all parts of the world, all walks of life come into Qatar, engage and interact with people from the Arab world and the Middle East even though we might not see eye to eye on certain things, even though we might not agree on certain things but everyone is welcome.
“The point is to come to terms with the fact that we won’t see eye to eye but we can still have mutual respect for each other and still find a way of moving forward, celebrating together.”
