Integrity Score 170
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This morning the European Parliament adopted a resolution on the human rights situation in Qatar. MEPs point out that the Gulf State won the FIFA World Cup bidding process against a backdrop of credible allegations of bribery and corruption. They deplore the deaths of thousands of migrant workers, mainly in the construction sector who helped the country prepare for the tournament, as well as all those injured.
Describing corruption within FIFA as "rampant, systemic and deep-rooted", MEPs also regret that the process of awarding the 2010 Football World Cup to Qatar was not transparent and lacked responsible risk assessment. They stress that FIFA has seriously damaged the image and integrity of world football.
Parliament calls on EU countries, particularly those with major national football leagues such as Germany, France, Italy and Spain, to put pressure on UEFA and FIFA to make fundamental changes to this organisation. This would include introducing democratic and transparent procedures into the decision-making process on where to hold the football world cups and implementing human rights and sustainability criteria for host countries.
To protect athletes and supporters, international sporting events must not be held in countries where fundamental and human rights are violated and where systematic gender-based violence prevails.
Noting that the foreign labor force in Qatar is more than 2 million people, representing about 94% of the country's workforce, the resolution recognizes that the Qatari authorities have reimbursed US$320 million to victims of wage abuses, through the so-called "Workers' Support and Insurance Fund".
However, MPs consider that many Qatari workers and their families have been excluded from its scope. They are therefore calling for the fund to be extended to include all those affected since the beginning of work related to the FIFA World Cup, also covering the death of workers and other violations of human rights.
They also appeal to FIFA to contribute to a comprehensive program to help the workers' families, as a way of compensating them for the conditions to which they were subjected.