Qatar blindsided by FIFA decision to take central control of World Cup planning

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By Andrew Warshaw

October 24 – Qatar’s 2022 World Cup organisers were taken completely by surprise over FIFA’s decision to scrap local organising committees for its flagship event. Earlier this month, as part of its grandiose roadmap for the future, FIFA announced that after Russia the World Cup would be organised centrally as part of its plan take “full control of all money flows”.

But it is understood that the move came completely out of the blue for the Qataris who were apparently not notified in advance of the announcement, the latest setback for the 2022 organisers who have already lost the prospect of having a voice at the top table of Fifa when their FA vice president Saoud Al-Mohannadi was banned from standing for a place on the FIFA Council because of an ongoing ethics investigation.

Meanwhile, Qatar’s Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy announced that a worker employed in the construction of one of the World Cup stadiums for the 2022 tournament has died in a “work-related” incident.

Although scores of migrant workers have lost their lives working on construction sites, organisers insist this is the first time it has happened to anyone directly as a result of World Cup projects though earlier this year two Indian expats contracted on the stadiums  died in non-work related incidents.

No information was provided about the identity of the victim or what actually happened in the latest incident.

“Following an incident on Al Wakrah Stadium on Saturday morning, a full investigation is underway to determine the factors which contributed to the death of one of our workers,” a statement said.

The Gulf state has an estimated 1.6 million migrant workers, more than 85% of the entire workforce, and has been widely condemned for its treatment of foreign workers. Critics have claimed that 1,200 workers have already died and up to 4,000 could perish before the World Cup begins, a figure vehemently denied by Qatar.

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