The FA is right to demand compensation for migrant workers –but why has it taken so long?
Harry Kane, England’s captain, will wear a multi-coloured anti-discrimination armband at the World Cup, as the FA joins with other European nations to take a stand against prejudice in Qatar.
While the Football Association has risked fuelling tensions with Fifa and the Qataris by finally demanding a compensation fund for the families of migrant workers injured or killed during the construction of stadia for the forthcoming World Cup.
Qatar has faced intense criticism from human rights groups but, along with world football’s governing body Fifa, has so far resisted the idea of paying for a fund – insisting that, instead, the companies involved should recompense the affected workers.
The FA has now gone much further with its public stance and has also joined forces with several other European nations – Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and Wales – in a high-profile “OneLove” campaign against all forms of discrimination at the tournament.
Captains from those countries – including England’s Kane – will wear an anti-discrimination, multi-coloured armband during the tournament which begins on November 20.
Amnesty International and other rights groups have called for Fifa to set aside $440 million – the equivalent to what they claim is the overall prize fund at the World Cup – to compensate the families of thousands of workers either killed or who have been the victims of human rights abuses and unacceptable conditions in the Gulf state.
Mark Bullingham, the FA’s chief executive, said: “We absolutely agree with the concept of a compensation fund. As to what level that is, it’s hard to say.”
He added: “Again we are pushing Fifa for an update on the compensation fund which has been consistently referenced as a safety net where workers and their families have been unable to secure compensation from the construction companies.”
Bullingham, who has become one of the most forthright voices pushing for change, boldly also risked aggravating the wider Middle Eastern area by stating: “It would be an important legacy for the tournament if we looked at the potential change for the region and not just the country. Wouldn’t it be brilliant if the changes brought through in Qatar spill out through the region?”
'The eyes of the world will remain on the whole region'
The FA, along with European football’s governing body Uefa, has committed to visiting Qatar next year to make sure the reforms that have been agreed are maintained.
“Now our understanding is that the changes being brought through are permanent and there is a lot of support for them on the ground,” Bullingham said. “I think the other point that is relevant is they are certainly bidding for other sports and the eyes of the world will remain on the whole region so we expect the changes to be continued to be implemented.”
The FA has been under pressure for some time to make a statement over the controversial decision to hold the World Cup in Qatar because of the concerns over human rights abuses and discrimination, specifically against the LGBTQ+ community with homosexuality illegal in the state. Bullingham said many fans will now not travel to Qatar.
The government of Qatar has admitted its labour system is a work in progress but denied a 2021 Amnesty report that thousands of migrant workers were still being exploited. Bullingham said the FA was also lobbying Fifa for an update of new labour protection laws and the introduction of a centre to provide advice and help for migrant workers who make up the bulk of the population.
“The Uefa working group has been fairly unanimous on the action we’ve taken and clearly some of that has been behind the scenes, some now public,” Bullingham said.
“I think it’s great that we’ve got pretty strong uniform support, certainly western Europe and I think I’ll be very surprised if I don’t see other countries come and join us and show solidarity in that way.”
The FA's belated response could – and should – have come sooner
By Jason Burt
The word that springs to mind about the Football Association’s statement on the World Cup in Qatar is: belated. At last it has said something substantive. But it has taken a very long time for it to happen.
The FA’s justification is that it needed time to gather all the information, have all the conversations that needed to take place and work out a sensible position. The last thing it wanted was to blunder into something, especially from a position of cultural difference. Presumably, there has been a lot of politicking going on.
But the organisation has hardly taken a public lead over the human rights concerns in the Gulf state that have been well documented and sourced for more than a decade. Issuing a statement two months before the tournament is emphatically not being at the vanguard.
The FA argues that, through chief executive Mark Bullingham, it has worked hard behind the scenes not least through Uefa’s working group. Bullingham, to his credit, has taken a lead in that and has now become one of the most forthright voices.
However, as Amnesty International put it, it has followed “years of FA reticence and overoptimistic statements” which does not reflect well on the organisation’s leadership (or, perhaps more fairly, its past leadership before Bullingham and the new chairwoman, Debbie Hewitt).
Previously, the FA had, aptly for the region of the world being discussed, appeared to put its head in the sand. The suspicion is the FA has been far too fearful of offending the Qataris, having signed that now infamous memorandum of understanding between the nations’ football bodies, and Fifa.
It leaves it open to the accusation that it has now acted under pressure; that this is little more than a box-ticking exercise that could not be avoided. It had to say something. The question is: has it said – and done – enough?
That assessment may be harsh as the FA has spent the past year in dialogue with human rights groups and charities.
It has appeared to have done its homework, while Amnesty’s response must be the guide, as it suggested the FA’s intervention “could be significant”. But that word “could” has a lot riding on it. It is a cautious welcome. As cautious, in fact, as the wording of the FA’s statement, as it still attempts to tip-toe through the issues without causing offence.
Much has changed in Qatar. The kafala system – which gave total control over migrant workers – has gone away, there is minimum pay and acts that protect against heat stress and guarantee a break in the day. The Qataris feel they have acted. But there is so much more to be done, so many injustices to be righted and victims to be compensated and helped and Bullingham has to be good to his word and help see this through.
The charities are right in demanding that Fifa establishes with Qatar a comprehensive programme to remedy all the abuses – and that has included deaths – that have taken place to bring this World Cup about. It is also not too much for Fifa to reserve the equivalent of the $440 million prize money for teams taking part in the tournament to go towards compensation for families who have suffered through death, injury, wage theft or debt from illegal recruitment fees.
Fifa says it is still considering this and the FA has clarified that it supports the fund, having initially stated that it will “push for the principle of compensation”. The world could also do with hearing from more of Fifa’s corporate partners and sponsors – four have spoken out – who must all call for compensation for the suffering of the migrant workers.
Is it too little, too late from the FA? Instinctively, it feels like it has taken too long to reach this statement and the very clear public position being taken. Would it have really hurt to have said something a bit more robust sooner?
After all, there is nothing wrong with encouraging change and hoping that the World Cup can affect it, as Bullingham has said of Qatar and the wider region, while at the same time expressing reservations that the tournament is taking place in the tiny speck of a fabulously wealthy Gulf state with a shocking record on human rights and equality.
There would also be nothing wrong on shining the light back on Fifa and the hugely questionable decision to award the World Cup to Qatar in the first place, with the apparent complete lack of due diligence involved in that.
Maybe that would be naive but other countries – most notably the Netherlands – have taken a more consistent and admirable approach over the past few years. The FA has undoubtedly now done the right thing, and clearly Bullingham is a force for good in this, but why has it taken so long?
