Rasheed celebrated Argentina’s World Cup victory by singing and dancing with dozens of other South Asian activists, with the double landmark in mind. Sunday was also International Migrants Day.
“Messi, Messi Messi,” they chanted at a corner of Souq Waqf, the central market in Qatar’s capital Doha, where crowds of foreign fans have gathered throughout the World Cup.
Rasheed said, “At first they laughed at us as ‘fake fans’, but I think now they have started accepting us.” He could not reveal his full name for fear of retribution by his Qatari employers.
Workers from India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal and Sri Lanka helped build many of Qatar’s eight stadiums and fill them for matches. India was one of the top ticket-buying countries.
But photo portraits of workers building Lusail Stadium in Sunday’s final were removed from its walls just before the tournament began. Some of the 88,000 people inside were from South Asia.
“It is very rare that we can come out and celebrate like this,” said Shafiq from the Indian state of Kerala.
“Normally we all live in the worker zone. We all wonder what will happen after the World Cup.”
– Reform ‘Commitment’ –
Labor rights have been a hot topic for Qatar, in fact since it was awarded the World Cup 12 years ago.
Rights groups say the death toll on Qatar’s mega-projects is underreported and condemn the conditions endured by the expatriates, who make up more than 80 percent of the 2.9 million population.
Even some of the Gulf state’s closest allies have sought assurances that recent reforms will stay in place.
US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield, who led President Joe Biden’s delegation to the World Cup final, raised the topic in a meeting with Qatari Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani on Sunday.
Greenfield highlighted the importance of the US-Qatar “strategic partnership” but also encouraged Qatar to “demonstrate its commitment to labor reforms and human rights beyond the World Cup,” a US statement said.
Other ministers who visited during the World Cup say they have conveyed a similar message.
Qatar, which has also faced pressure over conditions for women and the LGBTQ community, has pointed to a shift in the past five years.
It said Qatar has become a leader in the Gulf region by introducing a minimum wage, eliminating a rigid labor regulation system and limiting working hours in summer temperatures.
Labor Minister Ali bin Samikh Al Marri has stressed that Qatar will continue on the path of reform.
Rights groups have called for a special fund to compensate workers killed in Qatar’s monumental construction projects.
The government says a fund has already paid out more than $350 million for theft and lost wages and could compensate for injuries and deaths.
FIFA has promised to give details of the legacy fund for this soon. world Cup It says it will help workers in other countries. It allocated $100 million to a fund after the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
No official event was held for the UN Day for Migrants and rights groups are skeptical about the future.
Minky Worden of Human Rights Watch said, “This World Cup in Qatar will truly be remembered for all the wrong reasons: the costliest sporting event ever staged – and the deadliest.”
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