May 28 – Abdullah Ibhais has said that he will sue his former employer, the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy (SC), as well as FIFA after spending more than three years in a Qatari prison on trumped-up charges.
In an explosive interview with Norwegian magazine Josimar, Ibhais (pictured), a former media manager for the SC, said he’d take the Qatari organising committee and the world governing body to court.
“It’s for the injustice that I have faced. For being taken into arbitrary detention for three years. For depriving me from my family, from my life. Taking away everything I loved. And above all, for lying. For lying about everything. For lying about my case, for lying about the reforms. They will not pay the price of what they did, actually. It’s a much larger price than an individual case against them. But it’s a step. At least for me. If we all forgot what happened and just moved on with our lives… It’s bad for everyone who believes in justice,” said Ibhais.
In August 2019, he raised concerns about the treatment of migrant workers involved in World Cup projects, particularly regarding unpaid wages. He opposed efforts by his superiors to downplay these issues.
In November of that year, Ibhais was arrested on charges involving a tender. He was sentenced to five years in prison, later reduced to three years. In July 2024, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention declared his detention arbitrary and urged the Qatari authorities to release him immediately.
“That’s why I’m planning to sue them. The Supreme Committee for what they did. And FIFA for being complicit. I have sent emails that I know were received by Gianni Infantino and Fatma Samoura, all of the FIFA team. And the director of the Human Rights Department. He acted like he cared first. He asked for the documents and the proof. And once he received them, he just ghosted me like it never happened,” said Ibhais.
“Some of the FIFA sponsors as well couldn’t care less about it. The ILO couldn’t care less about it. I mean, the level of injustice, the violations that people will actually allow. The level of tolerance they show towards Qatar because it’s wealthy is unbelievable.”
In March 2025, Ibhais was released from prison and reunited with his family in Jordan.
Contact the writer of this story at moc.l1748556497labto1748556497ofdlr1748556497owedi1748556497sni@i1748556497tnuk.1748556497ardni1748556497mas1748556497