LONDON (AP) — FIFA came under pressure from sponsors Adidas,
Coca-Cola and Visa on Wednesday to push Qatar to deliver reforms for
migrant workers as the country rapidly expands to host the 2022 World
Cup.
The calls from high-profile commercial backers of soccer’s
flagship tournament came as Amnesty International’s latest report found
that Qatar is failing to make substantive changes to improve living and
working conditions for low-paid laborers building its highways, hotels,
stadiums and skyscrapers.
FIFA maintained that the World Cup is
proving to be a “catalyst for significant change” to labor laws in the
tiny Gulf nation, which relies on more than a million guest workers,
many of them drawn from South Asian nations including India and Nepal.
But
the statement from credit card company Visa is the strongest public
expression of unease yet from a FIFA sponsor about the plight of workers
in the tiny oil and natural gas-rich country.
“We continue to be
troubled by the reports coming out of Qatar related to the World Cup and
migrant worker conditions,” Visa said in a statement. “We have
expressed our grave concern to FIFA, and urge them to take all necessary
actions to work with the appropriate authorities and organizations to
remedy this situation and ensure the health and safety of all involved.”
Adidas,
the World Cup ball provider since 1970, said it remains in “constant
dialogue” with FIFA and pointed to pressure already being applied on
Qatar by soccer’s governing body.
“There have been significant
improvements and these efforts are ongoing, but everyone recognizes that
more needs to be done in a collective effort with all stakeholders
involved,” Adidas said in a statement.
FIFA financial accounts
indicate that Adidas, Visa and Coca-Cola pay around $ 30 million a year
to sponsor world soccer’s governing body, which surprisingly selected
Qatar as the first Middle East country to host the World Cup.
Since
the 2010 vote, Qatar has faced twin-pronged scrutiny over alleged
corruption in the bid and conditions for low-paid migrant workers.
Coca-Cola
stressed in a statement that it “does not condone human rights abuses”
but, like Adidas and Visa, did not threaten to withdraw its sponsorship
over Qatar concerns.
“We know FIFA is working with Qatari
authorities to address questions regarding specific labor and human
rights issues,” the Atlanta-based soft drinks manufacturer said in a
statement. “We expect FIFA to continue taking these matters seriously
and to work toward further progress.
“We welcome constructive
dialogue on human rights issues, and we will continue to work with many
individuals, human rights organizations, sports groups, government
officials and others to develop solutions and foster greater respect for
human rights in sports and elsewhere.”
Qatar is yet to introduce
long-planned labor reforms that could eventually end the controversial
“kafala” system that ties migrant workers to a sponsoring employer.
Rights groups have repeatedly urged Qatar to scrap the system, which is
used throughout the Gulf, saying it encourages exploitation and abuse.
FIFA
said it continues to urge the Qatari authorities to abolish kafala but
highlighted the need for international companies and governments to
press for changes.
FIFA President Sepp Blatter told Qatar’s emir,
Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, during a visit to Doha in March that
the Gulf nation must do more to improve guest workers’ lives.
On a
recent government-organized trip, The Associated Press spoke to guest
workers crowded into bare-bones labor accommodations, which suggested
many still are mistreated. Several workers spoke of paying hefty
recruitment fees that are illegal under Qatari law. Some said they were
duped into taking jobs at salaries well below what they were promised.
“Migrant
workers have been working for many global companies in Qatar for
decades, yet only now is real change happening in their working
conditions,” FIFA said in Wednesday’s statement.
World Cup
organizers say there has not been a single death on one of their stadium
projects, which are subject to international construction standards.
“Our hope is that these standards are extended to serve as a benchmark in the whole country,” FIFA said.
___
Associated Press Writer Adam Schreck in Dubai, United Arab Emirates contributed to this report.
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