Fifa legacy fund 'shameful' says Amnesty
Summary
Date Reported: 27 Nov 2024
Location: Qatar
Companies
FIFA - Other Value Chain EntityAffected
Total individuals affected: Number unknown
Migrant & immigrant workers: ( Number unknown - Location unknown - Sector unknown , Gender not reported , Unknown migration status )Issues
Access to Non-Judicial RemedyResponse
Response sought: Yes, by Journalist
External link to response: (Find out more)
Action taken: A FIFA spokesperson told Forbes that "all reports and recommendations were considered during a comprehensive review by the FIFA administration and relevant bodies. While all recommendations could not be met, practical and impactful elements were retained. It should be noted that the study did not specifically constitute a legal assessment of the obligation to remedy...The creation of the FIFA World Cup 2022 Legacy Fund was unanimously endorsed by the FIFA Council following a proposal made by the FIFA Governance, Audit and Compliance Committee. A Workers’ Support and Insurance Fund was established in Qatar in 2018, and FIFA believes the new Legacy Fund, endorsed by recognised international agencies, is a pragmatic and transparent initiative that will encompass social programmes to help people most in need across the world.”
Source type: NGO
"Fifa legacy fund 'shameful' says Amnesty,"
Two years on from the event, Fifa says £39.4m of the proceeds it generated will be invested in social programmes across various regions, in collaboration with the hosts, World Health Organization, World Trade Organization, and the United Nations Refugee Agency.
Key priorities include occupational health, education and football development.
Fifa says the "groundbreaking" fund will support an initiative to safeguard the health and safety of workers from extreme heat in the context of climate change.
However, Amnesty insists it "does absolutely nothing for the families who lost loved ones in Qatar and were plunged into poverty as a result"...
Hailing a "historic initiative", Fifa President Gianni Infantino said the governing body was "taking the concept of a legacy fund to the next level in terms of reach and impact"...
However, Steve Cockburn, Amnesty’s Head of Labour Rights and Sport, said: "It is shameful that Fifa and Qatar have launched their long-awaited legacy fund without any recognition of their clear responsibility towards the vast number of migrant workers who were exploited and, in many cases, died to make the 2022 World Cup possible.
"In failing to provide funding to compensate workers and their families for the severe harms suffered in Qatar, Fifa is blatantly disregarding its own human rights policies and is likely to be ignoring the conclusions of its own commissioned report – which is yet to be published. As long as Fifa continues to bury its head in the sand, workers and their families will continue to suffer the consequences.
"After worldwide demands for compensation coming from fans, players, sponsors and football associations, this legacy fund cannot be the end of the story. Fifa must finally do the right thing and provide meaningful remedy for all whose rights were violated and abused as a result of its flagship tournament.”
Fifa declined to comment on Amnesty's claims.