The ongoing FIFA World Cup 2022 being held in Qatar was marred by controversies even before it began due to countless deaths of migrant workers during the construction of stadiums for the mega event. Chief executive of the Qatar FIFA World Cup Nasser al-Khater further added fuel to the fire with his insensitive comments on the death of a Filipino worker on Friday.
When asked about the death of the worker al-Khater rubbished the ‘false narrative’ being spread by the media and called death a ‘natural part of life.’
“Death is a natural part of life — whether it’s at work, whether it’s in your sleep. Right now, it’s still under investigation and what happened and how it occurred. And obviously, it’s something that we feel very sad about,” Al Khater said.
According to a report in US-based sports website The Athletic, the man was fixing lights at Sealine Beach resort, a compound of villas. The report further said that the man slipped off a ramp while walking alongside a forklift and fell headfirst against concrete. The compound served as the training base for the Saudi team, before its elimination during the group stage.
According to The Guardian, Al Khater questioned why journalists wanted to talk to him about the man’s death.
“We’re in the middle of a World Cup,” he said. “And we have a successful World Cup. And this is something you want to talk about right now? A worker died, our condolences to his family but it is strange that is something you want to focus on as your first question.”
Human Rights Watch, a New York-based advocacy group, blasted Al Khater and FIFA in a message posted Thursday on its website.
"The FIFA and Qatari authorities' responses exemplify their entities' longstanding disregard for migrant workers' lives, repeated obfuscation of key facts and the failure to take responsibility for migrant workers' safety," the group said.
"This shameful government attitude towards migrant worker deaths is reflected in the authorities' failure to investigate the thousands of migrant worker deaths since 2010," Human Rights Watch added.
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'Death is a natural part of life' - Qatar FIFA World Cup CEO Nasser al Khater under fire for insensitive comments on migrant worker's death
Chief executive of the Qatar FIFA World Cup Nasser al-Khater made insensitive comments on the death of a Filipino worker.
Nasser al Khater (Source: Twitter)
The ongoing FIFA World Cup 2022 being held in Qatar was marred by controversies even before it began due to countless deaths of migrant workers during the construction of stadiums for the mega event. Chief executive of the Qatar FIFA World Cup Nasser al-Khater further added fuel to the fire with his insensitive comments on the death of a Filipino worker on Friday.
When asked about the death of the worker al-Khater rubbished the ‘false narrative’ being spread by the media and called death a ‘natural part of life.’
“Death is a natural part of life — whether it’s at work, whether it’s in your sleep. Right now, it’s still under investigation and what happened and how it occurred. And obviously, it’s something that we feel very sad about,” Al Khater said.
According to a report in US-based sports website The Athletic, the man was fixing lights at Sealine Beach resort, a compound of villas. The report further said that the man slipped off a ramp while walking alongside a forklift and fell headfirst against concrete. The compound served as the training base for the Saudi team, before its elimination during the group stage.
According to The Guardian, Al Khater questioned why journalists wanted to talk to him about the man’s death.
“We’re in the middle of a World Cup,” he said. “And we have a successful World Cup. And this is something you want to talk about right now? A worker died, our condolences to his family but it is strange that is something you want to focus on as your first question.”
Human Rights Watch, a New York-based advocacy group, blasted Al Khater and FIFA in a message posted Thursday on its website.
"The FIFA and Qatari authorities' responses exemplify their entities' longstanding disregard for migrant workers' lives, repeated obfuscation of key facts and the failure to take responsibility for migrant workers' safety," the group said.
"This shameful government attitude towards migrant worker deaths is reflected in the authorities' failure to investigate the thousands of migrant worker deaths since 2010," Human Rights Watch added.