Football: FIFA Qatar World Cup Legacy Fund
By Prof Dr Ian Blackshaw
FIFA, the World Governing Body of Football, has set up a new 2022 Qatar World Cup Legacy Fund of £39.4 million, out of the sums generated by the event, which amounted to a record £6 billion, for investment in social programmes around the region.
The key beneficiaries of this Fund will be programmes for occupational health, education, and football development.
However, nothing of this Fund will go towards compensating the family of migrant workers, who died as a result of World Cup-related projects. The number of such workers is reputed to be between 400 and 500.
In fact, it is reported that FIFA has resisted calls by campaigners, players unions and representatives of fans and some European Football Federations for setting up a £350 million compensation fund for the families of workers who had died or were injured in connection with the organisation of the World Cup in Qatar.
As a result, Steve Cockburn, head of labour rights and sport at Amnesty International, the Human Rights Group, has criticised this failure by FIFA and called it “shameful”. And has added that:
“…. this legacy fund cannot be the end of the story. FIFA must finally do the right thing and provide meaningful remedy for all whose rights were violated and abused as a result of its flagship tournament.”
However, FIFA has stated that the new Fund will support an initiative to safeguard the health and safety of workers from extreme heat resulting from climate change.
Prof Dr Ian Blackshaw may be contacted by e-mail at ‘
