Worker exploitation in Qatar has resulted in more than 6,500 worker deaths as they seek to establish infrastructure to support the 2022 World Cup.
The number reported by most media outlets is far lower but only covers deaths directly resulting from stadium construction (or so they say). Even excluding certain nations who have sent thousands of migrant workers to Qatar, over 6,500 migrant workers have died during construction of roads, hotels, airports and more. This doesn't even take into consideration the human trafficking tragedies these efforts often lead to.
I'm a lifelong soccer fan with a special connection to international play. The World Cup being hosted in Qatar is one of the most embarrassing things to have happened in the sport and there's barely any coverage on it. Why would there be? The media largely benefits from World Cup viewership so why would they report that thousands of lives have been lost in the name of greed and bribery.
Qatar has ZERO footballing history. The tournament, historically held during the summer, is being hosted during winter 2022. This was after failed promises of air conditioning rings and artificial clouds to keep stadiums cool during the blistering hot desert summer. Yes players are some of the highest paid in the world, but the change in schedule forces those at the top level to play nearly uninterrupted for 1.5 years.
Make it known – Instead of choosing to host the tournament in a country with a rich history of the sport, where there is infrastructure in place, and where the tournament can be played during the summer (as is tradition), those in power chose to sacrifice thousands of human lives for the benefit of absolutely no one. MAKE IT KNOWN!