Doha: The Secretary-General of the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy H E Hassan Al Thawadi has called a report on workers’ death related to the FIFA World Cup 2022 Qatar as “inherently misleading.”
In an interview with CNN’s Becky Anderson, Thawadi said the World Cup organizers are on track to deliver a remarkable tournament as the countdown hits 500 days to go.
“Nobody denies that more work needs to be done. We have partnered up with the ILO, we’ve partnered up with BWI, one of the biggest trade unions in the world. We have delivered on those promises. Now, the question is, is that enough? Of course not, but I don’t think any nation in the world today can make a claim that they have the perfect system. There is no doubt about that,” Al Thawadi told CNN.
“The headline that came out of The Guardian was inherently misleading… 6,500 workers did not die at the World Cup stadiums.
“If we’re looking specifically at World Cup stadiums, we have had, unfortunately, three work-related deaths and 35 non-work-related deaths. What I’m saying is the number 6,500 is not limited to workers themselves. It includes people from all different walks of life. Any death, whether it’s a natural death as a result of an accident, is a tragedy. So, that’s very important to highlight. But the number itself, if you break it down with the total population over a period of 10 years, it comes in within the normal mortality rate,” he added.
Al Thawadi stressed that the impact of sport in bringing people together could be a catalyst to quelling potential protests at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
“It’s safe to say I’m not concerned about a boycott for one reason because we are reaching out… I’m hopeful that by then, people would be educated more about Qatar. The powerful impact that sport has in bringing people together should never be underestimated. And more importantly, I think also people understand the transformative power this tournament has had. Not only in Qatar, but in the region as well,” he said.
On the World Cup infrastructure, Al Thawadi said, “I’d like to say we’re, give or take, around 90%. Between 90 and 95% completion. Most transportation infrastructure is completed; the metro system is up and running.
Four stadiums have been finished and inaugurated. The fifth is very close to the final completion awaiting inauguration. We have three other stadiums in the pipeline, again, at varying stages of completion, but by the end of this year or early next year at the latest, all the stadiums will be ready.”
