Doha: Nasser Al Khater (pictured), Executive Director of Communications and Marketing at the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy has rubbished allegations by German Development Minister Gerd Mueller, who recently criticised preparations for the 2022 Fifa World Cup in Qatar by saying that the country did not have a favourable work environment for workers. According to Al Khater, such allegations are made by people who have never been to Qatar.
“Everyone is entitled to their opinion. But we have the impression that many people talk badly about Qatar without ever having been in the country. Many critics, who then come to Qatar, were very surprised about our commitment. Many then said that the government and also ourselves have undertaken many positive steps,” Al Khater said in an interview with Sport1, a German television channel.
Al Khater views the World Cup as a tool for social progress because it will create pressure for improving the work environment. “The World Cup is a tool to move a lot in Qatar, which includes social progress. I, therefore contradict all those who say that the World Cup should be taken away from Qatar,” he said.
“The World Cup has helped to put more pressure on topics such as working conditions. If there is a public discussion about these things it motivates us to make progress more quickly,” he added.
Allegations about workers from India and Nepal dying while working on infrastructure for the World Cup are factually incorrect, he said.
“We have had zero accidents on World Cup sites. At the moment we have had 93,717 man hours without incident. Unfortunately, many people link all projects in Qatar to the World Cup, which is not correct,” he clarified.
He expects the government to announce more measures to improve the condition of workers.
The government has already taken steps to improve working conditions.
“There have already been improvements, but of course it can still be done better. The Ministry of Labour is working to increase inspectors’ numbers. Until the end of the year, 300 will be employed. And they are working with international organisations to train them in the right way,” he added.
Al Khater, who lived in Bonn for some time, hopes for special understanding from the Germans for Qatar’s undertaking.
“I was in Bonn when Germany became World Champions in 1990. I saw how Germany lived the tournament and enjoyed it. I want to point out that sport has always been part of our culture. In 1973, Pele was here with Santos to play against Al Ahli. In 1988, we had the Asian Cup here. Later, there followed many top events like the 1995 U20 World Cup, which we organised with three weeks’ notice. In 2015, the Handball World Cup will be here. All these have helped us to get in touch with the world. Also, as a result of this history, we have got the chance to host the World Cup in 2022,” he said.
He said Qatar will successfully host the World Cup whether it is in summer or winter, without harming the environment.
“Since bid sustainability has been an important topic, all stadiums and buildings will be built to top standards, and cooling will be environmentally friendly,” he added.
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