Qatar clarifies that 40 migrant workers died in the construction of World Cup stadiums

The 414 migrant employees who died between 2014 and 2020 are from all sectors, not just stadium-related jobs

MADRID, 29 Nov. (EUROPA PRESS) –

The secretary general of the organization of the World Cup in Qatar, Hassan Al Thawadi, clarified this Tuesday that of the more than 400 (414) migrant workers who died between 2014 and 2020 in the development of the World Cup project, 40 deaths were related to construction of the stadiums.

According to a statement shared by the organization of the World Cup in the Asian country, 40 people died in projects of the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy, that is, the person in charge of building the new stadiums and other sports infrastructure. “This data is documented annually in the Committee’s public reports and covers the 8 stadiums, the 17 training venues and other places related to the Committee’s scope,” the organization explained.

This clarification comes after Al Thawadi was the protagonist of Piers Morgan’s ‘Uncensored’ program on TalkSports, where the general secretary spoke of “between 400 and 500” dead in preparation for the World Cup. “I don’t have the exact number, but one death is one death, it’s too many. It’s clear and simple,” he said.

From the organization they insisted that these figures refer to national statistics covering the period 2014-2020 for all work-related deaths (414) throughout the country in Qatar, covering all sectors and nationalities.

However, an investigation by ‘The Guardian’ revealed that some 6,500 migrant workers died in the construction of those eight stadiums for the World Cup. “Every year security improves. The need for a labor reform indicates that improvements have to be made. This is something we recognized before carrying out the candidacy,” Al Thawadi admitted on TalkSports.