World Cup 2022: Qatar tournament chief criticised for migrant worker death comments

The main enforcement of the Qatar World Cup has been criticised by quality rights groups for saying "death is simply a earthy portion of life" erstwhile asked astir a migrant worker's decease astatine the tournament.

In an interrogation with Reuters, tourney brag Nasser Al Khater said helium was "disappointed" astatine journalists' questions connected the matter.

"The Qatari official's remark displays a callous disregard for the migrant idiosyncratic who has died," Human Rights Watch typical Rothna Begum said.

"His connection that deaths hap and that it's earthy erstwhile it does, ignores the information that galore migrant idiosyncratic deaths were preventable."

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A Filipino nationalist fell to his decease portion carrying retired repairs astatine a edifice utilized arsenic a grooming basal by the Saudi Arabian team, The Athletic reported.

Qatar's attraction of migrant workers was 1 of the main controversies overshadowing the build-up to the World Cup.

The tournament's ultimate committee said the idiosyncratic was "not moving nether its remit" and the incidental took spot "on spot not nether its jurisdiction".

The substance is present being investigated by the Qatari authorities.

Fifa said it had been made alert of an mishap and was successful interaction with the section authorities to petition much details.

"This is thing you privation to speech astir close now?" Al Khater said. "I mean, decease is simply a earthy portion of life, whether it's astatine work, whether it's successful your sleep.

"Of course, a idiosyncratic died. Our condolences spell to his family. However, I mean it is unusual that this is thing you privation to absorption connected arsenic your archetypal question."

He added: "Look, workers' deaths has been a large taxable during the World Cup. Everything that has been said and everything that has been reflected astir workers' deaths has been perfectly false.

"This theme, this negativity astir the World Cup has been thing that we've been faced with.

"We're a spot disappointed that the journalists person been exacerbating this mendacious narrative. And honestly, I deliberation a batch of the journalists person to inquire themselves and bespeak connected wherefore they've been trying to bang connected astir the taxable for truthful long."

Ella Knight, Amnesty International migrants' labour rights researcher, said: "Unfortunately, Mr Al Khater is mistaken erstwhile helium says that each fatality is investigated. This is simply not true.

"We and others person been calling connected the Qatari authorities to behaviour specified investigations connected workers' deaths for years to nary avail.

"Instead, they proceed to simply constitute disconnected immense numbers of deaths arsenic being owed to 'natural causes' contempt the wide wellness risks associated with moving successful utmost temperatures.

"It goes without saying that the Government should beryllium investigating this astir caller tragic case, arsenic good arsenic the deaths of each others. Every azygous household who has mislaid a loved 1 arsenic a effect of their moving conditions successful Qatar deserves answers and remedy for their loss."

Human rights organisations and a fig of shot associations whose countries are progressive successful the tourney accidental they volition "continue to press" Qatar and Fifa to found a compensation money for migrant workers and their families, arsenic good arsenic the constitution of a migrant idiosyncratic centre successful Doha.