Qatari Official Reveals Worker Death Total During The Construction Of FIFA World Cup Stadiums

The 2022 FIFA World Cup is marred in controversy for a whole slew of reasons. While the play on the field has been unsurprisingly fantastic, it’s what has happened away from the field that has made headlines.

When FIFA awarded the bid for the event to Qatar in December of 2010, it immediately came with a load of criticism. There were allegations of bribery and stark critiques of the country’s human rights record.

One of the concerns was how the country would build the necessary stadiums and housing for the event. Amnesty International has condemned Qatar for its use of migrant slaves to build stadiums.

There were also reports in the leadup to the event that a number of workers were killed in the process of building stadiums. Now we know just how many people died building the stadiums, and the number is staggering.

Qatari Official Reveals Insane Number Of Deaths During World Cup Stadium Building

Previously, Qatar had downplayed the number of deaths in the process of preparing for the World Cup. But a Qatari official revealed Tuesday that the number is much higher than anyone could’ve imagined.

Hassan Al-Thawadi, the secretary general of Qatar’s Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy, spoke with Piers Morgan about the matter.

He told Morgan that an estimated 400-500 migrant workers died during the construction of the stadiums. But Qatar then offered an amended statement following the interview.

“The Secretary-General told Piers Morgan’s ‘Uncensored’ program that there were 3 work-related deaths and 37 non-work related deaths on the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy’s projects,” a Qatari Supreme Committee spokesperson said on Tuesday. “This is documented on an annual basis in the SC’s public reporting and covers the 8 stadiums, 17 non-competition venues and other related sites under the SC’s scope.

“Separate quotes regarding figures refer to national statistics covering the period of 2014-2020 for all work-related fatalities (414) nationwide in Qatar, covering all sectors and nationalities.”

Fans were startled by the alarmingly high numbers.

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Others believe the number is even higher than the one given.

It’s yet another stain on an already marred by politics and human rights discussions.