Migrant deaths and the Qatar World Cup

Tombo2001 · 27-02-2014 05:32PM #1

The 2022 World Cup is due to be held in Qatar.

Since construction of stadiums began 18 months ago, circa 500 Indian migrant construction workers have died and 380 Nepalis.

I'm a football fan myself, and my favourite thing in football is the World Cup. I've watched every tournament with interest since 1982. Its a brilliant spectacle for fans.

But FFS its only a bunch of blokes kicking a ball around a field. Coming up for a 1000 people dead to facilitate this? Its beyond belief.

The International Trade Union Confederation believes 4000 will die in building the stadiums.

Surely this tournament should be boycotted and halted, to send a message to Qataris about labour abuses and to send a message to FIFA about moral corruption.

27-02-2014 05:35PM

Got some links?

Duffy the Vampire Slayer · 27-02-2014 05:39PM

Should never have been awarded to Qatar. It's an inappropriate venue in every way- climate, size, human rights record and footballing history.

Donkey Oaty · 27-02-2014 05:42PM

Deleted User wrote: »

Got some links?

The figures sound so horrendous that they have to be made-up.

But it appears to be true.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/feb/18/qatar-world-cup-india-migrant-worker-deaths

The Backwards Man · 27-02-2014 05:44PM

Know a couple of lads out plastering in Qatar. Home every two weeks, fly first class, stay in a five star hotel, airconditioning everywhere.

Labourers have to handmix the sand and cement, stay twenty to a room in an unserviced apartment, and get a flight home to Bangladesh once every two years. If they live long enough.

suicide_circus · 27-02-2014 05:45PM

that is an absolute thundering disgrace.

friend of mine had to do a stint in Oman there. locals had an extreme superiority complex and foreign labourers treated worse than dogs. foreign domestic servants regularly raped or murdered with no consequences for perps.

BillyMitchel · 27-02-2014 05:46PM

Duffy the Vampire Slayer wrote: »

Should never have been awarded to Qatar. It's an inappropriate venue in every way- climate, size, human rights record and footballing history.

Money talks though.

OP has this not already happened for this years World Cup?

DEFTLEFTHAND · 27-02-2014 05:47PM

Its indicative of how corrupt the top brass in FIFA are that a country half the size of Munster with a population of 2 million and no footballing history were allowed to buy a World Cup in the first place.

Not to mention the fact that it's looking like the bloody thing will have to be played in the winter months, breaking tradition and messing up the European domestic calenders.

biko · 27-02-2014 05:49PM

Every great achievement in human history has been built on slave labour.
It's just natural. The Qatarians have it figured out.

suicide_circus · 27-02-2014 05:51PM

biko wrote: »

Every great achievement in human history has been built on slave labour.
It's just natural.

I dont see the Qatari WC being a milestone in human achievement somehow

Tombo2001 · 27-02-2014 05:52PM

biko wrote: »

Every great achievement in human history has been built on slave labour.
It's just natural. The Qatarians have it figured out.

Yep, like penecillin or the moon landing or the internet.....

Well of course there was the pyramids 4000 thousand years ago, so you are spot there really.....

Tzardine · 27-02-2014 05:56PM

Having lived in the Middle East for some time I can tell you that the way some groups of migrants are treated / worked is shocking. They are split into 3 groups

1. GCC Nationals - Gulf Coast Citizens - Treated like royalty. Can get away with anything.
2. Westerners (Americans / Europeans )- Generally accepted and treated well.
3. TCN - Third Country Nationals - Basically Indian / Pakistani etc workers. Treated like absolute dirt. I have literally seen them left at the side of the road dead after car crashes.

I am in no way surprised by the deaths in Qatar. Poor guys are being exploited.

I am pie · 27-02-2014 05:57PM

BillyMitchel wrote: »

Money talks though.

OP has this not already happened for this years World Cup?

No.

I believe there have been deaths, two that I am aware of, but absolutely nothing on the scale of what has happened in Qatar.

Context: Brazil has a left leaning government, democratically elected with the richer sections of society opposing the govt. The protests in Brazil have been in part the socially excluded arguing that money spent building stadiums should have been allocated to social spending (infra, education, hospitals and not stadia!) and also in part hi jacked or promoted by the richer element of society as an anti govt protest. Many other protests by the less well off have taken place (focused in Sao Paulo) around rises in bus fares whilst billions are poured into stadiums that no one wanted. Sao Paulo airport for example is terrible, internal transport is not great. Brazil arguably would have been better getting the 2018 or 2022 wc and spending on infrastructure now.

Qatar world cup is a joke. Sadly FIFA and UEFA are corrupt and no one has the jurisdiction to take them on.

Tombo2001 · 27-02-2014 05:57PM

BillyMitchel wrote: »

Money talks though.

OP has this not already happened for this years World Cup?

Has that been boycotted?

Anyway, my specific thought on this is that what I would like as a taxpayer is that RTE state publicly it will not purchase rights to the 2022 WC.

Money talks, nothing else does really.....

Except in the Middle East, where they have so much money that they are more interested in 'prestige'. Maybe that sort of public statement by the Irish state broadcaster would make waves.

We saw Eamonn Gilmore doing the big man this week issuing statements about Uganda, saying that country's anti-gay legislation being introduced would "affect our valued relationship" with Uganda. Of course we dont depend on them for cash. Would he talk in similar tones about Russia, or Qatar.

27-02-2014 06:09PM

BillyMitchel wrote: »

OP has this not already happened for this years World Cup?

Construction accidents can happen anywhere. Brazil certainly has plenty of issues but they're not on the same scale as Qatar's.

893bet · 27-02-2014 06:09PM

Not all deaths are on WC sites for clarity rather sites in general. There is a lot of building work in general going on. Not that it matters but the WC is not the only blame though obviously is a contributing factor.

Qatar or Dubai are two places I will never visit after reading several reports on migrant workers treatment last year.

BillyMitchel · 27-02-2014 06:15PM

Tombo2001 wrote: »

Has that been boycotted?

Anyway, my specific thought on this is that what I would like as a taxpayer is that RTE state publicly it will not purchase rights to the 2022 WC.

Money talks, nothing else does really.....

Except in the Middle East, where they have so much money that they are more interested in 'prestige'. Maybe that sort of public statement by the Irish state broadcaster would make waves.

We saw Eamonn Gilmore doing the big man this week issuing statements about Uganda, saying that country's anti-gay legislation being introduced would "affect our valued relationship" with Uganda. Of course we dont depend on them for cash. Would he talk in similar tones about Russia, or Qatar.

Nah nothing has been boycotted. Doubt it will, unless governments and FIFA do something but that ain't going to happen. Brazilian public are pretty much outraged and was reading an article the other day how the police are already trying to clear up the Rio slums. Ross Kemp done one of his documentaries in Rio. The place is now like crack city.

Money sure does talk that side of the world. It's strange how a big deal isn't really been made of what's going on. Think it would be allowed to go on if it was a European country.

I am pie · 27-02-2014 06:39PM

BillyMitchel wrote: »

Nah nothing has been boycotted. Doubt it will, unless governments and FIFA do something but that ain't going to happen. Brazilian public are pretty much outraged and was reading an article the other day how the police are already trying to clear up the Rio slums. Ross Kemp done one of his documentaries in Rio. The place is now like crack city.

Money sure does talk that side of the world. It's strange how a big deal isn't really been made of what's going on. Think it would be allowed to go on if it was a European country.

Hang on here, Rio is not like crack city. It's arguably more secure now that it has been for years. Don't be getting your information from Ross Kemp documentaries. What the police have been doing is trying to dislodge dealers from favelas. Fair enough no? Again, this is a left wing populist govt.

Again, a democratically elected govt with a large majority is doing what it said it would. That said the socially excluded are not happy about the transport price increases. People are not marching against the WC but a minority are saying "right, hang on...your building stadiums and I have to pay how much more for the bus"

I think you have the situation in Brazil a little bit out of whack. Workers are not dying, the government is a democratically elected. There is NO similarities between migrant deaths in Qatar and people complaining about rising transport costs and too much money being spent on stadiums :mad:

Nor is there any reason to boycott Brazil. International boycotts because they have overspent on stadiums they comitted to build before the last 2010 elections.

I think you're a little bit misinformed.

As a side note, Brazil has lifted something like between 40-50% of its population out of poverty in recent years.

biko · 27-02-2014 06:52PM

suicide_circus wrote: »

I dont see the Qatari WC being a milestone in human achievement somehow

Tombo2001 wrote: »

Yep, like penecillin or the moon landing or the internet.....
Well of course there was the pyramids 4000 thousand years ago, so you are spot there really.....

It was a joke from LCK
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVTXFsHYLKA

Kinda didn't take off..

c_man · 27-02-2014 07:09PM

I honestly don't know how any of the Fifa head guys managed to keep a straight face when announcing the Qatar bid was successful.

Menas · 27-02-2014 07:09PM

I read somewhere that the families have to pay for the bodies of these dead workers to be repatriated. On phone so no link.

Fratton Fred · 27-02-2014 07:11PM

c_man wrote: »

I honestly don't know how any of the Fifa head guys managed to keep a straight face when announcing the Qatar bid was successful.

I'm sure the size of their bank balances helped.

FIFA is beyond a joke as far as governing bodies go.

BillyMitchel · 27-02-2014 07:14PM

I am pie wrote: »

Hang on here, Rio is not like crack city. It's arguably more secure now that it has been for years. Don't be getting your information from Ross Kemp documentaries. What the police have been doing is trying to dislodge dealers from favelas. Fair enough no? Again, this is a left wing populist govt.

Again, a democratically elected govt with a large majority is doing what it said it would. That said the socially excluded are not happy about the transport price increases. People are not marching against the WC but a minority are saying "right, hang on...your building stadiums and I have to pay how much more for the bus"

I think you have the situation in Brazil a little bit out of whack. Workers are not dying, the government is a democratically elected. There is NO similarities between migrant deaths in Qatar and people complaining about rising transport costs and too much money being spent on stadiums :mad:

Nor is there any reason to boycott Brazil. International boycotts because they have overspent on stadiums they comitted to build before the last 2010 elections.

I think you're a little bit misinformed.

As a side note, Brazil has lifted something like between 40-50% of its population out of poverty in recent years.

Do you live in Rio? Brazilian health officials are calling it an epidemic!

50% out of poverty? Absolute BS. Proof.

Never said workers are dying, I asked a question. How did you possibly think I was linking the two from asking a question.

Boycott the Brazilian World Cup, show me where I said that.

Is Ross Kemp lying? Seemed to be pretty spot on when he went to Belfast. Have you even seen it? I'm sure it's sensationalised like 99% of documentaries but if say his basic facts are true.

Nodin · 27-02-2014 07:38PM

Tombo2001 wrote: »

.............
Surely this tournament should be boycotted and halted, to send a message to Qataris about labour abuses and to send a message to FIFA about moral corruption.

....to be blunt, that should have been the case since they were awarded it.

The_Kew_Tour · 27-02-2014 07:41PM

biko wrote: »

Every great achievement in human history has been built on slave labour.

wtf is this??

Auldloon · 27-02-2014 07:42PM

biko wrote: »

It was a joke from LCK
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVTXFsHYLKA

Kinda didn't take off..

You rascal *puts down pitchfork*

I am pie · 27-02-2014 07:43PM

BillyMitchel wrote: »

Do you live in Rio? Brazilian health officials are calling it an epidemic!

50% out of poverty? Absolute BS. Proof.

Never said workers are dying, I asked a question. How did you possibly think I was linking the two from asking a question.

Boycott the Brazilian World Cup, show me where I said that.

Is Ross Kemp lying? Seemed to be pretty spot on when he went to Belfast. Have you even seen it? I'm sure it's sensationalised like 99% of documentaries but if say his basic facts are true.

I visit Rio once a month I'd say. You? Ever been?

You have no clear reason to boycott the WC in Brazil. I don't think you understand whats going on in the country of the progress it has made.

It's off topic anyway and to base your opinions on a Ross Kemp documentary is laughable.

Educate yourself a little bit

In 1 year alone: http://thebricspost.com/brazil-lifts-3-5mn-out-of-poverty-in-2012-report/

In the last decade 20million:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-13626951

Tell me why again we should boycott the Brazil w-c? Because you saw Ross Kemp on TV?

BillyMitchel · 27-02-2014 07:55PM

I am pie wrote: »

I visit Rio once a month I'd say. You? Ever been?

You have no clear reason to boycott the WC in Brazil. I don't think you understand whats going on in the country of the progress it has made.

It's off topic anyway and to base your opinions on a Ross Kemp documentary is laughable.

Educate yourself a little bit

In 1 year alone: http://thebricspost.com/brazil-lifts-3-5mn-out-of-poverty-in-2012-report/

In the last decade 20million:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-13626951

Tell me why again we should boycott the Brazil w-c? Because you saw Ross Kemp on TV?

Still only 16 million in poverty while 7 in extreme poverty. How much they spend on the World Cup Einstein and its hosting the Olympics in two years. I'm sure both events are great for the country but can understand why some would be pissed off.

RK way off topic, I agree and I didn't base anything on his documentary but rather a government health official are they wrong too? But you go there once a month so you're right?

Once again show me where I said boycott the Brazilian World Cup? If Ireland was there, so would I.

I am pie · 27-02-2014 08:07PM

BillyMitchel wrote: »

Still only 16 million in poverty while 7 in extreme poverty. How much they spend on the World Cup Einstein and its hosting the Olympics in two years. I'm sure both events are great for the country but can understand why some would be pissed off.

RK way off topic, I agree and I didn't base anything on his documentary but rather a government health official are they wrong too? But you go there once a month so you're right?

Once again show me where I said boycott the Brazilian World Cup? If Ireland was there, so would I.

Are you seriously going to argue they haven't made great strides in ridding the country of poverty? Really?

Your quote "Nah nothing has been boycotted. Doubt it will, unless governments and FIFA do something but that ain't going to happen"

You were talking right there about a Brazil boycott, which no one supports. I guess a few facts have had you roll back your whacky ideas a little.

BillyMitchel · 27-02-2014 08:23PM

I am pie wrote: »

Are you seriously going to argue they haven't made great strides in ridding the country of poverty? Really?

Your quote "Nah nothing has been boycotted. Doubt it will, unless governments and FIFA do something but that ain't going to happen"

You were talking right there about a Brazil boycott, which no one supports. I guess a few facts have had you roll back your whacky ideas a little.

Nope and wasn't trying to. Still a **** loads of people in poverty though. Are you denying that? You were a bit off with your 50% though that's for sure. Imagine what percentage it would be at if they didn't host the two biggest sporting events in the world. So Brazilian expert how much is the two events costing them?

Read the title of the thread :rolleyes: Brazil came up about the workers and I still do not see Brazil in that sentence. You also missed a bit. Ye know the part that I was asked about boycotting. Selective reading me thinks.

Still ignoring the crack question too? Oh sorry you're right and their government health official is wrong.

What wacky ideas by the way? I actually have no idea what you are talking about. Seriously.

SEPT 23 1989 · 27-02-2014 08:45PM

that figure seems way too high

Migrant deaths and the Qatar World Cup

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