CNN
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FIFA confirmed on Thursday the death of a migrant worker at a resort used by Saudi Arabia during the group stages of the World Cup in Qatar.
“FIFA is deeply saddened by this tragedy and our thoughts and sympathies are with the employee’s family,” a spokesman for soccer’s international governing body said in a statement to CNN.
– As soon as FIFA received information about the accident, we contacted the local authorities to request more information.
“FIFA will be able to comment further once the relevant processes relating to the employee’s transfer have been completed.”
It is unclear what the worker did or the circumstances surrounding his death.
Sealine Beach Resort was Saudi Arabia’s designated FIFA training base before the team was eliminated in the group stages of the tournament.
Qatar’s Supreme Committee for Delivery and Inheritance (SC) said in a statement to CNN: “Since the incident referred to occurred at a property outside the SC’s jurisdiction and the deceased worked as a contractor outside the SC’s jurisdiction, the SC, the concerned government authorities.
“The monitoring committee is following up with the same authorities concerned to ensure that we are regularly updated on developments in the investigation and has contacted the family of the deceased to ensure that relevant information is passed on,” the SC added.
A Qatari government official confirmed to CNN that authorities are investigating the incident.
“If the investigation finds that safety practices were not followed, the company will face legal action and severe financial penalties,” the official said.
Also on Thursday, Qatar 2022 World Cup chief executive Nasser Al Khater told a Reuters reporter that “death is a natural part of life” in response to a question about the latest death of a migrant worker, but did not elaborate on the circumstances of the incident.
“We’re in the middle of a World Cup. And we’ve had a successful World Cup. And this is something you want to talk about right now?” Al Khater said.
“I mean, death is a natural part of life, whether at work or in sleep. Of course the employee died. Our condolences to his family. I mean, though, it’s weird that this is something you want to focus on as the first question.”
In an interview with Piers Morgan that aired on TalkTV in November, SC Secretary General Hassan Al-Thawadi said that between 400 and 500 migrant workers had died as a result of work on projects related to the tournament. more than previously mentioned by Qatari officials.
Al-Thawadi said in the same interview that three migrant workers had died in incidents directly related to the construction of World Cup stadiums, and 37 deaths were due to other causes.
In an interview on Thursday, Al Khater added: “Look, the death of workers has been a big issue during the World Cup. Everything that has been said and discussed about the death of workers has been a complete lie.
“This theme, this negativity at the World Cup has been something that we have faced. We are a little disappointed that the journalists have exacerbated this false narrative.
“And frankly, I think a lot of journalists need to ask themselves and think about why they’ve been trying to think about it for so long.”
