Former Netherlands international Ronald de Boer has caused an uproar by testifying about the deaths of foreign workers in Qatar.
“It’s one word against the other. Everything is lumped together. From the teacher to the cleaner to the construction worker. That’s the stuff these numbers are made of,” said the 51-year-old during a broadcast Dutch broadcaster RTL. He was referring to media reports of 6,500 dead workers on construction sites in Qatar over the past decade.
“It’s really complete nonsense. They lumped everyone from those ten years together. That doesn’t do people justice,” said the Dutchman, who was named World Cup ambassador by the organizing committee in June 2021. “People are dying. It doesn’t matter how sad. But they make you feel like people are being killed by the heat of the stadium.” The government of Qatar pointed out that the death rate was within the expected range given that there were more than 1.4 million people from the region in the country.
Norwegian head of association countered criticism from Qatar
Meanwhile, Norway’s association president Lise Klaveness has dismissed the Qatari World Cup host’s criticism of her call for changes at FIFA in dealing with human rights. At the congress in Doha, the ex-team player had declared insistently that the World Cup had been awarded to Qatar a good eleven years ago under “unacceptable circumstances and with unacceptable consequences”. World Cup organization chief Hassan Al-Thawadi then accused her of not having spoken to them beforehand.
“I’m not disappointed. It’s just not right. We had several discussions with the Supreme Committee (organization committee) beforehand, we read everything about it,” said Klaveness of the German Press Agency in Doha. “We have dealt intensively with the topic, we are very well informed.” The World Cup host has been criticized for years because of the human rights situation and the conditions for foreign workers.
Klaveness stressed that while there has been some change in Qatar, there is still work to be done. “It’s our job to keep the pressure up,” said the 40-year-old. “I know my statements are supported by the Nordic federations. It is important that we have alliances with Germany, Canada, Australia, all countries,” she said. “Countries that share our ethical viewpoints.” In view of the requests to speak at the congress, however, she also recognized that the mood in world football is “divided”.
From their point of view, it is not about the fact that international football should only take place in western countries. “The sport should be played in Qatar, in Saudi Arabia, in Africa, in China. We shouldn’t be afraid to go to those countries,” Klaveness said. But then there must be a process that ensures that certain values are preserved.
