Football's governing body, FIFA, faces a legal charge in the Swiss courts over the alleged apathy shown towards the deplorable living and working conditions of migrant labourers recruited to build infrastructure in Qatar for the 2022 World Cup.
The charges are levied by Netherlands Trade Union Confederation (FNV), who are representing Bangladeshi migrant worker Nadim Sharaful Alam, a report in the Guardian stated.
FIFA has faced widespread criticism ever since the World Cup was handed to the Gulf country, back in 2010, with the bidding process alone coming under the scanner over alleged bribery claims. To build a slew of new stadiums, over a million migrant labourers were hired under the Kafala system, which is widely practiced in several countries across West Asia. This has attracted the ire of several NGOs and human rights groups over the years – the system is viewed as a modern day slave trade.
Under the Kafala system, migrant labourers are brought in through a sponsor, who is usually their employer, and is responsible for their visa, along with other legal documents.
Lawyers have sent FIFA president Gianni Infantino a letter along with a draft writ petition that could potentially be submitted in the Swiss courts over not doing enough to challenge and demand the abolition of the Kafala system. Infantino has been asked to reply within three weeks' time and pay for the damages. FIFA has been asked to “acknowledge that it has acted wrongfully by awarding the World Cup 2022 to Qatar without demanding the assurance that Qatar observes fundamental human and labour rights vis-à-vis migrant construction workers whose work is related to the 2022 World Cup,” the report stated.
Additionally, the letter has also asked FIFA to cough up the compensation amount for Alam over "material damages", which runs to 5,390.53 Swiss francs. "Alternatively FIFA should acknowledge that it should not have awarded the World Cup 2022 to Qatar,” the report added.
