FIFA World Cup 2022: Tainted By Blood and Tears of Workers바카라� Families

Gerardo Bedoya of Colombia is called 바카라�The Beast바카라� for a reason. He has received the most red cards (46) in football history. 

Many would be tempted to call Qatar 2022 the Gerardo Bedoya of World Cups. From its bizarre selection as host to the deaths of nearly 7,000 workers in the country since preparations began in 2010, the tournament has been involved in one foul after another. Some of its infamies can surely be blamed on FIFA, the game바카라�s ruling body. 

World Cup or Olympic bids are rarely squeaky clean processes. They are unctuous affairs where aspiring hosts hand out splashy inducements to officials and politicians. Labour is worked to the bone so that infrastructure is ready on time. Even at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, 21 workers died at construction sites.  
But in the case of Qatar, the liberties, by FIFA as well as the organisers, have been particularly extreme. 

One, Qatar does not have enough footballing pedigree to stage a World Cup. It is natural to feel, therefore, that other factors were at play in it getting the nod. It is also a tiny country for such a big event, the smallest since Switzerland in 1954 to host a World Cup.

Then there are the atrocities against workers. World Cup shenanigans usually do not concern Indians, but this time, they are hitting home. Of the nearly 7,000 workers who have died in Qatar since 2010, 2,711 are Indian, as per reports based on data from the Indian embassy in Doha. 

바카라�The World Cup is expected to add $17 billion to the Qatari economy. So they are going to be making huge profits out of the sweat and blood of workers,바카라� Bheem Reddy Mandha, President, Emigrants Welfare Forum, tells Outlook from Hyderabad.

Moreover, most of the bereaved families have not received compensation from the employers of their kin. These workers were typically hired by small agencies, not by World Cup organisers. Their reason for death, in most cases, has been listed as 바카라�natural causes' such as cardiac arrest. It does not take into account the triggers for cardiac arrest, such as stress or mistreatment. On paper, therefore, the World Cup organisers are not liable to pay the workers바카라� families money. And as per official records, only 37 deaths were directly linked to World Cup stadium construction.

Where insurance is concerned, most labourers have the Pravasi Bhartiya Bima Yojana (PBBY) cover. 

But there are riders. 

 바카라�PBBY usually covers only accidental deaths, job loss or maternity related situations. Also, ECNR (Emigration Check Not Required) passport holders are not eligible for PBBY.바카라� says Swadesh Parkipandla, President, Pravasi Mithra Labour Union, Telangana.

Once again, families who have lost their kin to stress-caused deaths have no safety net.

바카라�바카라�.but it바카라�s all related to the World Cup바카라�

Reddy바카라�s contention, however, is all construction activity in Qatar from 2010 was directly or indirectly linked to the World Cup. So the lives lost must be paid for by the World Cup committee or the Qatar government. 

바카라�In the last ten years, any development in the geographical area of Qatar is definitely related, directly or indirectly, to the World Cup. This is our stand,바카라� Reddy says. 

He feels the deaths need to be investigated beyond the cause listed in official records. 

바카라�For example, a person works hard during the day, in hot conditions. At night, he collapses in his hostel. They [the organizers] might say this is a heart attack, and not connected to the World Cup. But why did that person get the heart attack? That has to be investigated,바카라� says Reddy. 바카라�Our demand is, the World Cup committee and the Qatar government should pay compensation for the death of a worker due to any reason, save for exceptional cases.바카라� 

Widowed at 21, with a young daughter to raise

바카라�Yaad kisko nahi aayegi?바카라� Who will not remember?

Savita Kumar asks the question in a plaintive, almost musical voice, from her parents바카라� home near Chapra, Bihar.  

Just 21, she lost her husband Akhilesh in Qatar about a year ago. He was 22. They had been married for six years and have a four-year-old daughter. 

Akhilesh was a plumber. He was trying to fit an underground pipe near a match venue around Doha. The precarious cover of stone and soil over him then collapsed, burying him in the process. In an instant, a life was gone, a family was shattered.

바카라�He never spoke about the hazards of his job,바카라� says Savita. 바카라�Had I known, I would have stopped him. But husbands usually don바카라�t share their problems at home.바카라� 

She lives with her parents now, a young widow with a daughter to raise in a patriarchal culture. So far there has been no compensation. Savita바카라�s daughter stopped going to school recently because they no longer can afford the fees. 

바카라�We have got no help from my husband바카라�s employer. We approached a lot of people, but no one really knows what to do anymore,바카라� Savita says. 바카라�I have a whole life ahead of me, with a daughter to raise.바카라�

Asked what she does for a semblance of peace or distraction, she says, 바카라�I weep.바카라�

바카라�No one told us Abba was in hospital바카라�

As Qatar went on a building spree for the World Cup 바카라� eight stadiums, 100-plus hotels, a new airport, three subway lines 바카라� Abdul Majid from Nizamabad, Telangana, decided to make the most of the opportunity. In 2014, he took up work in Qatar as a heavy vehicle driver. With a monthly salary of 3000 Qatari riyal (Rs 66,000 approx as of today), Majid thought he could take better care of his wife and three sons. 

For a few summers, life was alright. Abdul Majid would visit home once in two years. He had no major complaints about his job. 

However, unbeknownst to him, his health was suffering.

In 2020, at age 55, he died. 

바카라�After Abba passed away, we spoke to one of his roommates,바카라� Majid바카라�s son Zameer tells Outlook. 바카라�He said Abba had been in hospital for six months. And then he had a heart attack. I feel sad that no one informed us about his health for six months. Something could have been done. We miss Abba, he was the head of the family and the sole breadwinner.바카라� 

They too haven바카라�t received compensation. 바카라�My older brother runs a shop. That바카라�s how we survive,바카라� says Zameer, who is doing his postgraduate studies. 

Hoping for government help 

Unregulated labour is not tracked with much interest by authorities. There is no updated data on the number of Indian labourers in the Middle East. This hampers the task of securing compensation, among other things, says Parkipandla. 

He also mentions the External Affairs Ministry바카라�s decision to reduce the minimum referral wages of Indian labourers in the Gulf in the year 2020 as something that disadvantaged workers. The government바카라�s move was intended to increase employment opportunities after Coronovirus, but it came at a heavy cost. For Qatar, the MRW became a lowly $200 (approx Rs 16,250) a month. 

바카라�Last year, we met the external affairs minister, V Muraleedharan, to request that the circulars be repealed,바카라� Parkipandla says. 

A rollback followed, says Parkipandla. But some damage had been done.

The worldwide outcry over Qatar바카라�s methods has forced organizers to at least admit to some mistakes and strike a conciliatory note. Now, activists hope the Indian government can further turn the screws. 

바카라�It is an international matter and we (activists) have limited resources and limited voice,바카라� says Reddy. 바카라�We are therefore requesting the government of India to use their good offices, and their bilateral relations, so that families get justice.바카라�

It may not bring back the dead, but a four-year-old girl in Chapra can possibly go to school again, and in Nizamabad, 25-year-old Zameer can complete his post-graduation. Families can begin their second half, to use football parlance, with renewed hope.