Fifa legacy fund 'shameful' says Amnesty

Human rights group Amnesty says it is "shameful" that a new 2022 Qatar World Cup legacy fund does not include compensation for migrant workers harmed during preparations for the tournament.

Two years on from the event, Fifa says £39.4m of the proceeds it generated will be invested in social programmes across various regions, in collaboration with the hosts, World Health Organization, World Trade Organization, and the United Nations Refugee Agency.

Key priorities include occupational health, education and football development.

Fifa says the "groundbreaking" fund will support an initiative to safeguard the health and safety of workers from extreme heat in the context of climate change.

However, Amnesty insists it "does absolutely nothing for the families who lost loved ones in Qatar and were plunged into poverty as a result".

Controversy over the human cost of building the infrastructure required for the 2022 tournament in the gulf state's extreme summer heat has hung over the event for years.

In 2021 it was revealed that 6,500 migrant workers from India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka had died in Qatar since it won its bid to host the World Cup in 2010.

The Qatari government said not all the deaths recorded were of people working on World Cup-related projects, and that many could have died from old age or other natural causes.

Before the tournament, authorities claimed there had only been three 'work-related' deaths on actual stadium construction sites since work began in 2014.

But during the event, organisers said the number of migrant workers who died on World Cup-related projects was "between 400 and 500".

Qatar introduced labour reforms from 2017, with more protection for workers, a minimum wage, and the dismantling of the controversial 'kafala' sponsorship system, but there have been long-standing concerns over the implementation of the changes.

Despite generating a record £6bn from the World Cup, Fifa resisted calls from campaigners, players’ unions, fan representative groups and some European football federations for a £350m compensation fund for the families of workers who were injured or who had died, instead committing to a legacy fund.

In late 2022, Fifa said it "welcomed assurances" from the Qatar government in relation to an existing workers’ support and insurance fund that it said had provided hundreds of millions of pounds in compensation, external in cases mainly dealing with late and non-payment of wages.

In March 2023, Fifa also commissioned an independent report to advise on its responsibilities to migrant workers in Qatar, which is yet to be published.

Hailing a "historic initiative", Fifa President Gianni Infantino said the governing body was "taking the concept of a legacy fund to the next level in terms of reach and impact".

Hassan Al Thawadi, Secretary-General of the Qatar 2022 Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy, added: "We wanted to enact legacy projects that would address issues critical to the region and to the international community as a whole. We look forward to working with our signatory partners today to utilising the power of football and the World Cup to contribute to improving lives within our region, and beyond."

However, Steve Cockburn, Amnesty’s Head of Labour Rights and Sport, said: "It is shameful that Fifa and Qatar have launched their long-awaited legacy fund without any recognition of their clear responsibility towards the vast number of migrant workers who were exploited and, in many cases, died to make the 2022 World Cup possible.

"In failing to provide funding to compensate workers and their families for the severe harms suffered in Qatar, Fifa is blatantly disregarding its own human rights policies and is likely to be ignoring the conclusions of its own commissioned report – which is yet to be published. As long as Fifa continues to bury its head in the sand, workers and their families will continue to suffer the consequences.

"After worldwide demands for compensation coming from fans, players, sponsors and football associations, 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.”

Fifa declined to comment on Amnesty's claims.