‘All talk’: No football federation endorses migrant worker compensation fund despite Qatar rights concerns
Despite being outspoken in their opposition to the World Cup being held in Qatar, none of the 31 qualifying federations have yet supported the #PayUpFIFA campaign to pay workers in the Gulf state.
Only fourteen of the global football federations responded appropriately to questions in a survey given by the UK’s The Independent, according to the publication.
Those who responded to questions on human rights issues in regard to their participation in the Qatar World Cup, as well as plans to support or comment on the #PayUpFIFA campaign, included Australia, Denmark, England, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Portugal, Switzerland, and Spain.
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Seven of them indicated direct concern about human rights issues in Qatar, though The Independent said Belgium, Croatia, and the United States have reportedly addressed their concerns to the hosts separately.
Australia, Belgium, Denmark, and Germany have invited human rights organisations such as Amnesty International to speak directly to their players.
Others, including England, the Netherlands, Portugal, and Switzerland, have had ongoing discussions with such organisations but do not wish to prioritise one over another in terms of speaking with the squads.
Meanwhile, the federations of England, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Portugal, Switzerland, and Australia outlined their current positions in clear and nuanced detail. Under the supervision of UEFA and its continuous working groups on Qatar, the general consensus among European qualifiers is that they wish to come together as a collective statement with “global impact.”
The #PayUpFIFA campaign is a collective appeal by human rights groups for FIFA to match the tournament’s $440 million in prize money with compensation for migrant workers who have experienced human rights violations during the tournament’s preparations.
While not officially endorsing the campaign, other federations, such as Belgium, Denmark, Germany, and the Netherlands, have shown support for its goals.
“When the whistle blows and the game begins, they want to win,” Simon Chadwick, professor of sport and geopolitical economy at SKEMA Business School in Paris, told Doha News. “For domestic football federations, there is often only one thing that matters.”
