<p>A Qatari official responsible for the delivery of the FIFA World Cup has revealed that 400 to 500 migrant workers may have died on World Cup-related projects.</p>

<p>In an interview with British journalist Piers Morgan, Hassan al-Thawadi, the World Cup chief and&nbsp;secretary general of the Supreme Committee for delivery and legacy made the rather 'grim' admission. However, he stopped short of providing precise fatality numbers as it was still being discussed.&nbsp;</p>

<p data-analytics-observe="off" data-component-name="paragraph" data-editable="text" data-uri="archive.cms.cnn.com/_components/paragraph/instances/paragraph_EF77DDC9-0134-264A-1125-C36F80F360BE@published">“The estimate is around 400, between 400 and 500. I don’t have the exact number, that’s something that’s been discussed. One death is too many, it’s as simple as that,” said&nbsp;al-Thawadi.&nbsp;</p>

<p data-analytics-observe="off" data-component-name="paragraph" data-editable="text" data-uri="archive.cms.cnn.com/_components/paragraph/instances/paragraph_EF77DDC9-0134-264A-1125-C36F80F360BE@published">"[But] every year the health and safety standards on the sites are improving, at least on our sites, the World Cup sites, the ones we are responsible for. Most definitely to the extent that you have trade unions [commending] the work that has been done on World Cup sites and the improvement.”</p>

<p data-analytics-observe="off" data-component-name="paragraph" data-editable="text" data-uri="archive.cms.cnn.com/_components/paragraph/instances/paragraph_EF77DDC9-0134-264A-1125-C36F80F360BE@published">Notably, the&nbsp;Supreme Committee previously maintained that there had been only three work-related death and 37 non-work-related fatalities among the workers since the infrastructure construction began in 2014.&nbsp;</p>

<p data-analytics-observe="off" data-component-name="paragraph" data-editable="text" data-uri="archive.cms.cnn.com/_components/paragraph/instances/paragraph_EF77DDC9-0134-264A-1125-C36F80F360BE@published"><a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-fifa-helps-qatar-sportswash-human-rights-abuses-433965"><strong>WATCH |&nbsp;Gravitas: FIFA helps Qatar sportswash human rights abuses</strong></a></p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-fifa-helps-qatar-sportswash-human-rights-abuses-433965/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

<p>However, a Guardian report published last year stated that 6,500 migrant workers from India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka had died during the preparation of the WC infrastructure.&nbsp;</p>

<p data-analytics-observe="off" data-component-name="paragraph" data-editable="text" data-uri="archive.cms.cnn.com/_components/paragraph/instances/paragraph_EF77DDC9-0134-264A-1125-C36F80F360BE@published">The Qatar World Cup has not been&nbsp;devoid of controversy ever since FIFA handed the West Asian country hosting duties, nearly a decade back.</p>

<p data-analytics-observe="off" data-component-name="paragraph" data-editable="text" data-uri="archive.cms.cnn.com/_components/paragraph/instances/paragraph_EF77DDC9-0134-264A-1125-C36F80F360BE@published">According to experts, the oil-rich country is using the WC to sportswash itself. However, to do so, it has spent almost $220 billion trying to build the stadiums and related infrastructure from the ground up.</p>

<p data-analytics-observe="off" data-component-name="paragraph" data-editable="text" data-uri="archive.cms.cnn.com/_components/paragraph/instances/paragraph_EF77DDC9-0134-264A-1125-C36F80F360BE@published">Several footballing nations have condemned the hosting of the quadrennial event in Qatar. However, FIFA has managed to nip the protests in the bud.&nbsp;</p>

<p data-analytics-observe="off" data-component-name="paragraph" data-editable="text" data-uri="archive.cms.cnn.com/_components/paragraph/instances/paragraph_EF77DDC9-0134-264A-1125-C36F80F360BE@published"><em>(With inputs from agencies)</em></p>

<p data-analytics-observe="off" data-component-name="paragraph" data-editable="text" data-uri="archive.cms.cnn.com/_components/paragraph/instances/paragraph_EF77DDC9-0134-264A-1125-C36F80F360BE@published"><strong>WATCH WION LIVE HERE:&nbsp;</strong></p>

<p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="350" loading="”lazy”" src="https://www.wionews.com/live-tv/embed?autoplay=1&amp;mute=1" width="100%"></iframe></p>


A Qatari official responsible for the delivery of the FIFA World Cup has revealed that 400 to 500 migrant workers may have died on World Cup-related projects. In an interview with British journalist Piers Morgan, Hassan al-Thawadi, the World Cup chief and secretary general of the Supreme Committee for delivery and legacy made the rather 'grim' admission.

A Qatari official responsible for the delivery of the FIFA World Cup has revealed that 400 to 500 migrant workers may have died on World Cup-related projects. In an interview with British journalist Piers Morgan, Hassan al-Thawadi, the World Cup chief and secretary general of the Supreme Committee for delivery and legacy made the rather 'grim' admission. However, he stopped short of providing precise fatality numbers as it was still being discussed. “The estimate is around 400, between 400 and 500. I don’t have the exact number, that’s something that’s been discussed. One death is too many, it’s as simple as that,” said al-Thawadi. "[But] every year the health and safety standards on the sites are improving, at least on our sites, the World Cup sites, the ones we are responsible for. Most definitely to the extent that you have trade unions [commending] the work that has been done on World Cup sites and the improvement.” Notably, the Supreme Committee previously maintained that there had been only three work-related death and 37 non-work-related fatalities among the workers since the infrastructure construction began in 2014. WATCH | Gravitas: FIFA helps Qatar sportswash human rights abuses × However, a Guardian report published last year stated that 6,500 migrant workers from India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka had died during the preparation of the WC infrastructure. The Qatar World Cup has not been devoid of controversy ever since FIFA handed the West Asian country hosting duties, nearly a decade back. According to experts, the oil-rich country is using the WC to sportswash itself. However, to do so, it has spent almost $220 billion trying to build the stadiums and related infrastructure from the ground up. Several footballing nations have condemned the hosting of the quadrennial event in Qatar. However, FIFA has managed to nip the protests in the bud. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE:

FIFA World Cup 2022: Qatar admits this many migrant workers died on WC projects

<p>The government of Qatar said on Tuesday its labour system is still a work in progress but denied accusations in a report by Amnesty International that thousands of migrant workers in the 2022 World Cup host nation were being trapped and exploited.</p>

<p>A 48-page report by Amnesty, Reality Check 2021, said that practices such as withholding salaries and charging workers to change jobs was still rife, despite labour reforms in 2014, as the country prepares to host the soccer tournament next year.</p>

<p><strong>ALSO READ:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/world-cup-qualifier-lionel-messi-will-start-for-argentina-vs-brazil-neymar-out-injured-429733">World Cup qualifier: Lionel Messi will start for Argentina vs Brazil, Neymar out injured</a></strong></p>

<p>"Apparent complacency by the authorities is leaving thousands of workers at continued risk of exploitation by unscrupulous employers, with many unable to change jobs and facing wage theft," Mark Dummett, Amnesty`s global issues programme director, was quoted as saying by The Guardian.</p>

<p>"They have little hope of remedy, compensation or justice. After the World Cup, the fate of the workers who remain in Qatar will be even more uncertain."</p>

<p>However, a statement from Qatar`s Government Communication Office rejected the claims that labour reforms have not resulted in changes on the ground for thousands of migrant workers.</p>

<p>"Amnesty fails to document a single story from among the 242,870 workers who have successfully changed jobs since barriers were removed in September 2020, or from the more than 400,000 workers who have directly benefitted from the new minimum wage through salary increases and other financial incentives," the statement said.</p>

<p><strong>ALSO READ:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/fifa-world-cup-gay-australian-footballer-josh-cavallo-scared-to-play-in-qatar-427952">FIFA World Cup: Gay Australian footballer Josh Cavallo 'scared' to play in Qatar</a></strong></p>

<p>"Qatar has never shied away from acknowledging that its labour system is still a work in progress," it added. "The government is committed to engaging collaboratively and constructively with international partners and critics to further improve standards for all migrant workers in Qatar."</p>

<p>The 2022 World Cup is scheduled to begin on Nov. 21 and will feature 32 teams.</p>


The government of Qatar said on Tuesday its labour system is still a work in progress but denied accusations in a report by Amnesty International that thousands of migrant workers in the 2022 World Cup host nation were being trapped and exploited.

The government of Qatar said on Tuesday its labour system is still a work in progress but denied accusations in a report by Amnesty International that thousands of migrant workers in the 2022 World Cup host nation were being trapped and exploited. A 48-page report by Amnesty, Reality Check 2021, said that practices such as withholding salaries and charging workers to change jobs was still rife, despite labour reforms in 2014, as the country prepares to host the soccer tournament next year. ALSO READ: World Cup qualifier: Lionel Messi will start for Argentina vs Brazil, Neymar out injured "Apparent complacency by the authorities is leaving thousands of workers at continued risk of exploitation by unscrupulous employers, with many unable to change jobs and facing wage theft," Mark Dummett, Amnesty`s global issues programme director, was quoted as saying by The Guardian. "They have little hope of remedy, compensation or justice. After the World Cup, the fate of the workers who remain in Qatar will be even more uncertain." However, a statement from Qatar`s Government Communication Office rejected the claims that labour reforms have not resulted in changes on the ground for thousands of migrant workers. "Amnesty fails to document a single story from among the 242,870 workers who have successfully changed jobs since barriers were removed in September 2020, or from the more than 400,000 workers who have directly benefitted from the new minimum wage through salary increases and other financial incentives," the statement said. ALSO READ: FIFA World Cup: Gay Australian footballer Josh Cavallo 'scared' to play in Qatar "Qatar has never shied away from acknowledging that its labour system is still a work in progress," it added. "The government is committed to engaging collaboratively and constructively with international partners and critics to further improve standards for all migrant workers in Qatar." The 2022 World Cup is scheduled to begin on Nov. 21 and will feature 32 teams.

Qatar denies Amnesty's claims of migrant workers' exploitation in preparation for 2022 World Cup

More than 6,500 migrant workers have died since 2010 when Qatar won the hosting rights for the 2022 FIFA world cup. Many of these deaths have been listed as 'natural', even though they were triggered by extreme working conditions. WION's Palki Sharma gets you a full report.

Gravitas: The truth behind Qatar's World Cup preparations