Qatari authorities are investigating the reported death of a Filipino man working at a resort used by the Saudi Arabia national team during the group stage of the soccer World Cup. When asked about the incident, World Cup chief executive Nasser Al Khater expressed disappointment that journalists would ask questions on the matter. ‘We’re in the middle of a World Cup. And we have a successful World Cup. And this is something you want to talk about right now?’ he said to a reporter.
Qatar has faced intense criticism from human rights groups over its treatment of migrant workers and the number of work-related deaths is in dispute. The Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy said three work-related deaths and 37 non-work-related deaths have occurred on World Cup related projects. The Guardian previously found through our own investigation that at least 6,500 migrant workers from South Asia – many of them likely to have been working on World Cup preparations – had died in Qatar since it won the right to stage the World Cup.
