Dad says son ‘worked to death’ on £1 an hour by Qatar World Cup stadium firm

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Sanjib Raya died of coronary heart failure at 28 – identical age as England captain Harry Kane. However his household say he was completely wholesome earlier than taking on the gruelling job.

A weeping father immediately claims his son was “labored to demise” on £1 an hour within the World Cup nation of Qatar.

Sanjib Raya toiled 12 hours a day in 40C warmth as a street builder.

The agency he labored for constructed the 60,000-capacity Al-Bayt Stadium, the place England play the USA on November 25.

Sanjib died of coronary heart failure at 28 – identical age as England captain Harry Kane. However his household say he was completely wholesome earlier than taking on the gruelling job.

His father, Nepalese farm employee Rampriya, 68, advised the Sunday Mirror: “It’s an insult to my son’s reminiscence and different migrants – that stadium was constructed on the blood and sweat of migrant staff.”

Sanjib’s uncle Hari Narayan, 30, added: “He’s lifeless – will FIFA pay compensation? I don’t assume so. They’ve blood on their fingers.

“I wish to ship a message to the England gamers that the Qatar authorities has exploited low-cost labour from Nepal. That must be understood by the gamers themselves. I’m indignant however what can I do from right here?”

Sanjib is one among 6,500 migrants claimed to have misplaced their lives throughout Qatar’s big infrastructure programme for the World Cup.

Payslips present he earned £218 a month within the capital Doha as a street employee for Galfar Al Misnad.

A demise certificates confirmed Sanjib died of coronary heart failure after collapsing at his momentary lodging. Qatar’s Supreme Committee for Supply & Legacy insists Sanjib didn’t work on any tasks which formally type a part of the World Cup.

However his household declare lengthy, arduous days took a tragic toll. Sanjib would have needed to toil for 2 weeks to purchase a single duplicate World Cup match ball – the £130 Adidas Al Rihla.

He died on November 27, 2021 and his physique was shipped again to the standard village of Khesraha, Sonoma, in a wood field eight days later.

Paperwork present his household was given £1,500 as a “remaining settlement” by Galfar Al Misnad.

It’s a sum dwarfed by the £150billion spent on infrastructure forward of the match.

Sanjib’s household say his demise makes a mockery of the authorities’ 2015 pledge to “protect the rights and dignity of all people who will work to make the match successful”.

Dad Rampriya stated: “We have been poor earlier than he left, now we’re destroyed. These corporations are liable for my son’s demise.”

Qatar’s rulers, the Al Thani household, have been accused of bankrolling the World Cup to spice up the picture of a nation that’s the richest on earth per capita however is mired in human rights abuse claims. Critics say the cup is “constructed on a basis of exploitation”. In 2013 it emerged 44 Nepalese labourers died in Qatar in two months. A yr later it was revealed some staff earned 45p an hour.

Qatar disputes claims by Amnesty Worldwide that 6,500 migrant staff have died since 2011. Apart from the constructing programme, fears have been raised over Qatar’s wider human rights file and remedy of the LGBTQ+ neighborhood.

England supervisor Gareth Southgate says he and his gamers will increase human rights considerations earlier than and through the finals.

Campaigners say migrant staff pay center males to jet 2,000 miles to the Gulf.

Poverty-stricken households are left behind in shacks, with no earnings if a beloved one joins the checklist of fatalities. Comparable tales of heartache are scattered throughout this southern district of Nepal, the place 150,000 of 800,000 locals have flocked to the Center East in a determined bid for work.

Ani Ruddha, supervisor on the Safer Migration Challenge, stated: “It makes me very indignant. These migrants work arduous to make the stadiums however they’ll by no means have the ability to afford to observe the video games.

“It’s discrimination in opposition to the employees and a human rights violation.”

Qatar’s Supreme Committee claims there have been three work-related deaths and 36 non-work-related deaths linked to FIFA World Cup tasks. A spokesman stated: “This match is a strong catalyst for delivering a sustainable human and social legacy.

“Our dedication to staff’ welfare has resulted in vital enhancements in lodging requirements, well being and security laws, grievance mechanisms, healthcare provision, and reimbursements of unlawful recruitment charges to staff.”

Galfar Al Misnad was approached for remark. A FIFA spokesman stated: “FIFA has been knowledgeable Mr Raya was not concerned in any FIFA World Cup 2022 tasks however any demise is a matter of deep remorse and our ideas and sympathies are together with his household.

“Impartial consultants have said the highlight positioned on Qatar, as a result of World Cup, has contributed considerably and meaningfully to an enchancment in labour situations.

“FIFA will proceed to push for higher employee safety and is assured the World Cup will go away an enduring legacy and function a catalyst for broader optimistic social change.”