By Andrew Warshaw
December 2 – The international players’ union FIFPro has again urged Qatar’s World Cup organisers to abolish the kafala employment system for footballers in the wake of the Zahir Belounis case that made worldwide headlines following meetings with Qatar 2022 officials at the weekend with players’ contracts and rights at the top of the agenda.
The meeting took place two days after Belounis returned to France having finally been granted his exit permit after being “trapped” in Qatar claiming 18 months’ of unpaid wages in a long-running dispute with his club.
Belounis is due to hold a press conference in Paris on Tuesday at which he is expected to provide fresh details of his plight.
“FIFPro has the attention of Qatar’s leading football officials,” said FIFPro delegate Mads Oland after meeting Hassan Al Thawadi, secretary general of the Qatar 2022 Supreme Committee, in Doha.
“Qatar heard FIFPro’s wish to abolish the kafala sponsorship system in its application to footballers. This goes to the heart of respecting their basic human rights. There is a clear understanding on all sides that the level must be raised. The level must be in line with FIFA standards within the Qatari professional league.”
“FIFPro made it very clear that the establishment of a free, independent FIFPro affiliate, a players’ union that puts the welfare of footballers first, is essential. As of now, the players who FIFPro protect cannot be guaranteed that their rights will be respected. That has to change.”
While FIFpro was representing the interests of football, another international trade union reported no improvement in living and working conditions of thousands of migrant workers employed in Qatar despite the recent global outcry among human rights organisations.
Following a four-day visit by an International Trade Union Confederation delegation, the organisation’s general secretary, Sharan Burrow, said the 11-member delegation met workers and were shocked by “tales of terror”.
The Qatari authorities have insisted they are gradually changing the law, using the World Cup as a catalyst for change. But Burrow said: “This is an easy choice for the Qatari government; the perplexing question is why won’t they take it? Professional and poor workers alike tell the same stories; they came to Qatar with optimism and goodwill, only to face despair when their employer decides they are disposable and refuses to pay wages, sack them without benefits and or refused to sign their exit permit.
“FIFA have called for the improvement of core international labour organisation standards and an end to the kafala system. They will report back in March 2014. We can only hope the Qatar government will make the right choice.”
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