Protesters held banners with messages such as “No bloodstained World Cup” and “Workers are not slaves,” highlighting concerns about the treatment of immigrant workers in Qatar. Blatter acknowledged Qatar’s problem during a press conference but emphasized that it wasn’t directly FIFA’s responsibility. He maintained that while FIFA recognized a portion of the responsibility, interference in workers’ rights was beyond the organization’s scope.
Critics, including unions and NGOs, have decried the conditions faced by immigrant workers in Qatar, likening them to modern-day slavery. Reports of hundreds of deaths among workers, mainly from Asia, have sparked international outrage. Despite denials from Qatar, figures from Indian and Nepalese embassies suggest significant fatalities among laborers over the past few years.
Tags: FIFA, Sepp Blatter, Hong Kong, protester, Qatar
