Man dies after 'working to death' at Qatar WC stadium, family asks 'will FIFA compensate?'

The commencement of the FIFA World Cup 2022 Qatar is now a bit over six months to go, and the qualified nations are currently gearing up to shine at the highest stage of football to attain the World Cup glory. However, the human rights exploitation matter behind organizing the event and building top-class stadiums are now in light more than ever. A heartbroken father has now claimed that his son worked to death on a wage of £1 an hour in Qatar.

The deceased in question was a 28-year-old man named Sanjib Raya, who worked 12 hours a day in scorching heat, with temperatures over 40C as a road builder. The firm which employed Sanjib worked to build the Al-Bayt Stadium, which has a capacity of 60,000 spectators. Sanjib passed away due to heart failure, but his family claims that he has perfectly healthy before taking up the job. 

Father labels Qatar stadium as 'insult' to deceased's memory 

Speaking to the Sunday Mirror, Sanjib’s father Rampriya Raya, who is a Nepalese farmworker termed the incident as an insult to his son’s memory and other migrants. As reported by Mirror, the 68-year-old said, “It’s an insult to my son’s memory and other migrants – that stadium was built on the blood and sweat of migrant workers.” At the same time, Sanjib’s 30-year-old uncle Hari Narayan said the world football governing body, FIFA has blood on its hands. 

'Want to send message to England players about the exploitation'

His uncle further added that the Qatar government has exploited cheap labour from Nepal. “He is dead – will FIFA pay compensation? I don’t think so. They have blood on their hands. I want to send a message to the England players that the Qatar government has exploited cheap labour from Nepal. That needs to be understood by the players themselves. I am angry but what can I do from here?,” Hari Narayan added.

Meanwhile, Sanjib was one of the 6,500 migrants who are understood to have lost their lives, while playing a part to build Qatar’s huge infrastructure programme for the forthcoming World Cup. Sanjib’s payslips show that he earned £218 per month, working as a road worker in Qatar’s capital Doha for Galfar Al Misnad. While a death certificate stated that the 28-year-old passed away due to heart failure after collapsing at his temporary accommodation, Qatar’s Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy insists that he didn’t work on any projects, which officially form part of the mega event.

(Image: AP/qatar2022.qa)