DOHA: Several citizens believe that the controversy raging in the international media over the plight of foreign workers in Qatar is part of a campaign to tarnish the image of the country ahead of the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
The current debate was triggered by an article in Britain’s Guardian newspaper last Thursday investigating the death of Nepalese workers in Qatar, who the daily said were employed in projects related to the World Cup.
The article went viral on social media, with many citizens expressing their anger and disappointment.
The investigation into a segment of foreign workers has been viewed by many as explicitly biased and highly exaggerated. Even deaths of workers caused by heart attacks have been linked to work site abuses, they said.
“This is a clear media war against the Qatari 2022 bid… At least we don’t have any homeless people with no work nor a place to live in,” read a popular comment on Twitter.
“I am disgusted at the Guardian report on Lusail. Reporting one week before the FIFA meeting is no coincidence. Lusail City is not part of the World Cup and it is managed partially by one of the largest French firms,” wrote another.
Another commentator said such campaign against Qatar was coming from a country “that claims professional ethics while it is not followed by their press”
“About work injuries, we face this problem all over the world and it has nothing to do with the World Cup,” he said.
“This is not new, they are still in shock to see that an Arab country is going to host the World Cup that will take place whether they like it or not,” wrote another.
There were also commentators who partially agreed with the views expressed in the article.
“If the report is true, it is not good to host the World Cup at the cost of people,” said a commentator. He however put the blame on companies for such abuses.
“Work in summer is hell. Why are the companies not being forced to provide air-conditioned buses to transport their labourers?” said a comment on Qatar Share, a Qatari social networking site.
Reacting to the issue, prominent Qatari businessman Ahmed Al Khalaf also said the Guardian article was biased.
“The injury rate at the construction sites in Qatar is less compared to the UK and some other countries. Causalities at work sites should not be ignored, those found responsible should be punished and the state should enact laws to protect the labourers,” said Al Khalaf.
Regional media have also joined the debate.
“However, it might be as well to look at the British newspaper’s scandalous assertions in a wider context. It was clear from the moment that FIFA chose to award the World Cup in nine years time to an Arab country, that there were forces at work, seeking to push back against the decision.
“The campaign was low-key at first. It began with the common argument mounted against virtually every country awarded a prestigious sported event — can the necessary stadia and facilities be built in time? The speed with which Qatar addressed to mammoth preparations for the contest, quickly put paid to that objection,” Arab News said in an editorial on Friday.
