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Gareth Southgate criticized by human rights groups after England boss claimed migrant workers in Qatar ‘love football’ and ‘united’ want the World Cup to go ahead despite their ill-treatment
- Southgate said in an interview that migrant workers in Qatar ‘love football’ and are ‘united’ to want the World Cup to take place
- Qatar has been heavily criticized for its record of human rights and its treatment of workers building their stadiums and infrastructure
- A report published last year said 6,500 workers had died in World Cup projects
- Amnesty said workers are not paid and work in bad conditions
- Human rights groups criticized Southgate’s comments ahead of the tournament
- Click here for all the latest 2022 World Cup news and updates
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England manager Gareth Southgate has come under fire from human rights groups after he claimed that workers in Qatar are ‘united’ in their desire to allow the World Cup to go ahead.
Qatar, which will host the tournament from November 20, has been harshly criticized for its human rights record and the conditions to which thousands of migrant workers building stadiums and infrastructure have been exposed.
The Middle Eastern country has also been criticized for its anti-LGBTQ+ laws.
In an interview with CNN, Southgate said: “I’ve been to Qatar several times and I’ve met a lot of the workers there and they’re united in definitely one thing – that’s that they want the tournament to take place, and they want it because they love football.
“They want football to come to Qatar.”
A report published last year said 6,500 migrant workers had died in Qatar since it was awarded the World Cup 12 years ago. The authorities in Qatar “categorically” deny this.
England manager Gareth Southgate said migrant workers in Qatar are ‘united’ to want this month’s World Cup to go ahead
Migrant workers sheltered from the sun on a construction project for the World Cup in Qatar – a report last year said 6,500 had died building the tournament infrastructure
Qatar has been criticized for its human rights record and the conditions thousands of migrant workers were exposed to when building the tournament’s infrastructure
And an Amnesty International study released last month – ‘Unfinished business: What Qatar needs to do to deliver on promises about the rights of migrant workers’ – found that thousands of workers still receive no pay or face delays, rest days denied and are exposed to unsafe working conditions.
Southgate’s comments were reprimanded by Amnesty, who said labor rights are of greater concern to these workers.
“Many workers in Qatar will of course be football fans,” Ella Knight of Amnesty told the Guardian.
“But what migrant workers have really emphasized to us is the need to fully protect their rights, get paid well, change jobs freely and enjoy safe, dignified working conditions.
Doha prepares to welcome the world with the tournament starting November 20th
Minky Worden of Human Rights Watch said: “There are many migrant workers who are proud of the work they have done to build the World Cup in Qatar.
But there are also many who have suffered preventable deaths and damages and until the deaths, loans, injuries and wage theft have been compensated, it is not correct to say that all migrant workers are ‘united’.
Southgate said the football association is engaged with human rights groups about workers’ rights in Qatar.
“We are trying to support those ideas with compensation for families who have lost workers and a center for workers’ rights,” he said.
England open their World Cup against Iran on November 21 and hope to go far
The Qatari Supreme Committee, which is organizing the tournament, said last month: “The advancement in worker welfare is a legacy we are very proud of and see in action.
“We have always believed that the World Cup will be a catalyst to accelerate positive initiatives and leave a legacy of meaningful and sustainable progress for the province and the region.”
The World Cup kicks off on November 20 with Qatar vs Ecuador, with England opening their campaign against Iran the following day.