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Norwegian clubs and players have taken a stand for migrant workers, but who is prepared to follow them?
While we should expect no better from the ghouls at Fifa, it remains an enduring ignominy that over a decade after their decision to grant World Cup 2022 to Qatar, apparently widespread global indifference means the tournament remains fully on course to take place in the new-build stadiums of the Arab state. So much so that a qualification process some thought might never happen began this week.
Thousands of migrant workers have died in Qatar since Sepp Blatter gifted them their Fifa-approved golden ticket. The state’s own official figures for deaths specifically related to construction for World Cup stadiums are small – three “work-related” and 34 “non-work related” fatalities, it says – but the danger in this building boom feels present and very real. Continue reading...