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24 Oct 2022

Qatar 2022: French team hotel terminates contract with security provider as guards allege poor living & working conditions; FFF, Marriott & USS respond, Katara did not

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In October 2022, a French tv documentary reported on working conditions at the Al-Messila hotel in Qatar, which has been booked by the French Football Federation (FFF) for the upcoming Qatar World Cup. The report alleged security contractor United Security Services did not respect workers rights, with video evidence showing cramped and unsanitary accommodation and kitchens for workers sub-contracted at the Al-Messila. Some workers who were interviewed stated they were not paid overtime and "hardly ever" had a day off.

The contract with United Security Services has since been terminated and FFF is conducting a site visit to the hotel in mid-October.

Ouest France also reported that a company also provided security workers to an Accor hotel; Accor has commented on the allegations of substandard housing.

The Business & Human Rights Resource Centre invited FFF to describe their due diligence process to safeguard subcontracted workers from abuse and to disclose the name of the new security contractor; their response can be read below, though they did not disclose the name of the newly contracted security provider.

We also invited United Security Services, the hotel's brand Marriott, and the hotel's owner Katara Hospitality to respond to the report. Responses from United Security Services and Marriott can be read below; Katara did not respond.

Amnesty International France tweeted publicly on the allegations on 26th October, calling on the FFF to make public the results of their investigations.

Company Responses

Fédération Française de Football (French Football Federation) View Response
United Security Services (USS) View Response
Marriott View Response
Katara Hospitality

No Response

Timeline