Didier Deschamps must have suspected that he would be entitled to a question on the subject. A few minutes after revealing his list of 24 players for the next matches of the France team, Thursday, May 19, the coach of the Blues was questioned about the open letter sent by Amnesty International to the French Football Federation. The NGO asks for help there to “defend and support migrant people working in appalling conditions in Qatar“for the next World Cup.
The coach of the Blues did not manage to contain a small grin. “This is a sensitive subject, very sensitive. It is neither my role nor that of the players to put pressure on the federation. What I can say is that the necessary arrangements have been made to be attentive to what is happening in Qatar. Now, I don’t want to get into a media debate.” The mine of the coach was then crestfallen when the author of the first question revived him on the subject several times.
The coach of the Blues then preferred to kick into touch: “If I answer your question, I enter right into what I refuse: the media debate. Afterwards I think I have proven over and over again that I make sure to understand everything and to be tolerant.“
The International Labor Organization claimed in November 2021 that “50 workers lost their lives in 2020″ in Qatar, particularly on account of the “World Cup infrastructure projects”. Moreover, “just over 500 [travailleurs] were seriously injured, and 37,600 suffered minor to moderate injuries in the course of their work”. In a survey published in February 2021 (article in English), The Guardiananalyzing government sources, evoking a much heavier toll, with “more than 6,500 migrant workers dead” in Qatar since the country won the right to host the World Cup.
Regarding the exploitation of migrant workers in Qatar Didier Deschamps said: “players are free to express themselves on the subject”.@French team you have carte blanche.
Express your solidarity with these people! https://t.co/78OcagmIxy
— Amnesty International France (@amnestyfrance) May 19, 2022
Danish, Norwegian and German footballers have already committed to the subject, according to the open letter from Amnesty International. Deschamps, for his part, assured that his proteges are able to position themselves in Qatar. “Every person has and always will have their freedom of expression. I’m not here to gag mouths.”
The France team will still have six games to play (four in June and two in September) before heading to Doha in mid-November. For its part, Amnesty International has asked FIFA to pay compensation of at least $440 million to immigrant workers in Qatar.
The body that manages world football and the organization of the next World Cup reacted by specifying to the World “implement an unprecedented due diligence process in relation to the protection of workers involved in the 2022 World Cup, in line with Fifa’s responsibility under the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights male“.