Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy
Qatar Football Association (QFA) and the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC) met with
officials from UEFA – European football’s governing body – to outline Qatar’s progress on the road to
hosting the FIFA World Cup 2022TM.
The UEFA delegation included members of its workers’ rights working group, who were given an
extensive overview of Qatar’s progress in relation to workers’ welfare. The SC outlined the various
measures it had implemented over the past decade to protect workers, including numerous health
and safety initiatives, the recruitment fee reimbursement programme, innovative cooling work wear
and nutrition programmes, among various other special projects.
QFA and SC representatives also gave an overview of host country preparations and led a visit to Ras
Abu Aboud Stadium – the first fully dismountable tournament venue in FIFA World CupTM history. The
40,000-capacity stadium will be inaugurated during the FIFA Arab CupTM, which will take place in Qatar
later this year. The tournament will help Qatar fine-tune preparations ahead of the FIFA World CupTM,
which will kick off on 21 November 2022.
In addition to meetings with the QFA and the SC, UEFA members met representatives from the UN’s
International Labour Organization (ILO), the global trade union Building and Wood Worker’s
International, and the National Human Rights Committee.
Nasser Al Khater, CEO, FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 LLC, said: “We’re pleased to have welcomed
members of the UEFA working group to Doha to witness firsthand the important work being done in
relation to workers’ welfare by the Government and various independent organisations that operate
in Qatar. Being able to demonstrate progress in person and on the ground in Doha is always far more
impactful and we look forward to welcoming the entire group back for their next visit to see further
improvements and initiatives implemented. While many positive steps have taken place since Qatar
was awarded the tournament in 2010, we are well aware that there is still more work to be done and
are as committed as ever to ensuring labour reform will be one of the country’s longest lasting World
Cup legacies.”
The participants engaging in the visit onsite or through virtual arrangements were Michele Uva,
UEFA’s Football and Social Responsibility Director, and representatives from eight national
associations: Dominique Blanc (Switzerland), Mark Bullingham (England), Ekaterina Fedyshina
(Russia), Florence Hardouin (France), Gjis de Jong (Netherlands), Håkan Sjöstrand (Sweden), Terje
Svendsen (Norway), and Heike Ullrich (Germany). Thierry Favre (UEFA Deputy Firector of the National
Associations Division), Sara Holmgren (Diversity and Inclusion Officer), and FIFA representative
Andreas Graf (Head of Human Rights & Anti-Discrimination) also took part in the sessions.
Michele Uva, UEFA’s Football and Social Responsibility Director, said: “In our initial meetings we
agreed that the working group aims to consolidate the commitment and subsequent input to share
with the organisers from a UEFA perspective. We wish to understand the impact the World Cup is
having regarding human rights and labour rights. All of us agree that football has the potential to
create meaningful change in these areas and that’s why we feel it is our duty that we engage strongly
in this discussion. This first visit to Qatar follows three online meetings and helps us to better
understand the situation with the Qatar authorities and to be able to evaluate potential progress and
highlight future steps in the human rights journey. We thank the Qatar authorities and in particular
the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy for their openness, transparency, and commitment
to dialogue they offered us. We are sure that together we will contribute to improve the legacy of this
event.”
In summarising the visit, Gijs de Jong, Member or the UEFA Working Group and General Secretary
of the Royal Netherlands Football Association said: “It is clear that Qatar has made significant positive
progress with human rights legislation in the last three years. There is no doubt this progress has
accelerated as a result of the FIFA World Cup being awarded. The challenge is the legislation is not yet
universally adopted, and whilst efforts are being made, there is a need for further work. We believe
the working group and the European associations can play a supporting role in this, as well as in the
outline of further development, and hope to do so through continued engagement and dialogue.”
Mansoor Al Ansari, Secretary General of the QFA, said: “It was a pleasure to meet with
representatives from UEFA here in Doha and discuss a range of aspects related to Qatar 2022. The
working group were particularly interested to learn about the SC’s workers’ welfare programme and
recent national labour reforms, which has overseen a raft of initiatives to protect the health, safety
and wellbeing of everybody who is engaged on Qatar’s World Cup project. In collaboration with the
SC, our guests also received a full overview of the tournament, including stadiums, country-wide
infrastructure and our various legacy projects. We look forward to continuing our dialogue with UEFA
during the lead-up to the FIFA World Cup and beyond.”
The QFA and SC will host more delegations from UEFA between now and the tournament to further
explore the legacy the FIFA World Cup will deliver for Qatar, the Middle East and the world.