A year to go, Qatar World Cup still feels heat of scrutiny

eight stiums — all within a 30-mile rius of Doha — are now largely complete. 2022 World Cup has been preserved after fending off hostility from neighbors, corruption investigations and concerns about worker abuses. Now a clock on Corniche waterfront in Qatari capital will be unveiled on Sunday to count down one year until kickoff.

Expect anor 12 months of pressure from rights groups — fueled by player protests — and indignation from some World Cup organizers.

“Qatar has been unfairly treated and scrutinized for a number of years,” organizing committee CEO Nasser Al Khater said Saturday.

That scrutiny, though, has produced improvements to labor laws under weight of criticism of working conditions since a reported $200 billion of upgres to country’s infrastructure began after FIFA vote in December 2010.

“You take it into context of region,” Al Khater told reporters, “I think Qatar is a trailblazer right now with all reform that it’s done, wher it’s on worker standards, accommodation standards, introduction of minimum wage.”

In some cases it was World Cup organizing committee introducing changes before country as a whole, but enforcement of laws and conditions facing workers — particularly in fierce summer heat — remains a source of concern for groups.

Qatar has not provided full details and data on deaths of migrant workers, particularly from South Asia, who are relied on to build infrastructure across country. Amnesty International has highlighted need for deeper investigations into cause of deaths, lack of a right to form unions and need for all companies to comply with newer laws saying workers should be allowed to leave jobs without permission of employer.

“re’s criticism,” Al Khater said. “re’s work that needs to be done. re is, however, a lot of progress but unfortunately that has not been captured in reports such as Amnesty, Human Rights Watch.”

Twelve countries, as well as Qatar as host, have so far secured qualification for 32-team event. Denmark has said its training kit in Qatar will feature critical human rights messages, ensuring tournament will feature player activism.

building work is starting to wind down.

“All eight stiums for World Cup are complete,” Al Khater said.

Seven venues are now rey to stage matches, with Stium 974 built using that number of shipping containers to be inaugurated later this month at FIFA Arab Cup that is serving as a test event for World Cup.

A 40-minute drive north takes fans to 80,000-capacity Losail Stium that will stage final on Dec. 18, 2022 but is not rey for games. Nearby is also Losail International Circuit where Formula One defending world champion Lewis Hamilton said ahe of Sunday’s inaugural Qatar Grand Prix that country still has a “long way to go” on ensuring equality.

Hamilton is wearing a rainbow-colored helmet in Qatar to draw attention to anti-LGBTQ+ laws that World Cup organizers effectively suggest won’t be enforced during tournament.

“Everybody is welcome to come to Qatar and have an enjoyable time at World Cup,” Al Khater said. “y can come and enjoy ir time here without fear of any sort of repercussions, it makes no difference to people’s (sexual) orientation, religion, creed, race whatsoever.”

Al Khater said any couple could share a hotel room.

“I don’t know if this is a misconception,” he said. “I don’t know where you know, where you get this from. I mean, anybody is free to stay in a hotel, wher with ir friend, with ir partner.”

challenge for supporters could still be affording trip. Even though it’s a World Cup requiring no flights between games, demand for accommodation could be stretched in tiny Gulf nation. What helps fans is being able to stay in neighboring countries, including United Arab Emirates, after y lifted an economic, diplomatic and travel boycott of Qatar this year that h been running since 2017.

“ ultimate goal is to have a successful World Cup and you can only have a successful World Cup when you have fans attending,” Al Khater said. “So this has been taken into consideration to make sure that re’s plentiful accommodation and re’s accommodation available for all budgets.”

Fans will be traveling months later than usual for World Cup. Opening on Nov. 21, 2022, with final on Dec. 18, remains contentious as major European leagues finalize starting dates for a season so significantly disrupted for first time by World Cup.

Qatar bid for World Cup under FIFA’s terms for usual June-July slot, with schedule change only decided after vote. now largely discredited committee of FIFA executives that voted by a majority for Qatar overlooked concerns about heat.

That vote has remained under cloud of corruption.

A FIFA-commissioned probe highlighted unease of investigators looking into Qatar’s methods to win vote but concluded re was no “evidence of any improper activity by bid team.” American attorney Michael Garcia did, however, find that some of Qatar’s conduct “may not have met standards” required by FIFA.

Fresh allegations of wrongdoing surfaced last year when American prosecutors revealed new details of alleged bribes paid by Qatar for votes. An indictment said Nicolás Leoz, n president of South American governing body CONMEBOL, and former Brazil federation president Ricardo Teixeira received bribes to vote for Qatar.

“All of se investigations have shown us that Qatar has been vindicated of all allegations me against it,” Al Khater said when asked about claims that emerged in U.S. District Court in Brooklyn. “So whatever you’re referring to, I deny categorically.”

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