Qatar urged to reconsider 2022 World Cup worker bonus payments

May 01, 2024

Hundreds of expatriate workers for the 2022 World Cup have not yet received bonus payments, despite their Qatari national counterparts receiving theirs.

The Athletic has learned that expatriate workers from Qatar’s Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy for the World Cup, who accounted for 75 per cent of the workforce, have not been paid bonuses for their work in delivering the tournament, which took place nearly a year ago.

In September, a joint letter was sent by the expatriate workforce to Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani, who is the brother of the current Emir of Qatar, and the chair of the steering committee of the Supreme Committee.

The letter read: “The SC’s workforce has, over the last 12 years, been made up of experienced, talented and dedicated professionals from more than 50 countries. Expatriate employees accounting for approximately 75 percent of the workforce – including direct hires, SC consultants and secondees – were ambassadors for the entire country, supporting Qatar’s right to host the tournament as if it were our own country.

“It is, therefore, devastating to learn that the SC’s expatriate workforce has been excluded from receiving an end of tournament bonus – an industry practice worldwide for events of this nature.

“It is noteworthy that despite severe financial cuts in 2020, the expatriate staff remained committed to this project, making significant personal sacrifice, but carried forward in part due to assurance from the SC that solutions would be found imminently. Many of our Qatari colleagues do not agree with this decision, having spent years working together to achieve the same goal.

“Such a decision goes against the values of the SC, of Qatar and dilutes the legacy of the tournament. We respectfully urge you to reconsider the decision to exclude expatriate employees from receiving a project bonus, ensuring a fair and equitable outcome for all those who delivered the tournament.”

The Supreme Committee and Qatari government did not respond when asked by The Athletic why the bonuses were not paid to expatriates, or whether the decision is considered discriminatory, as has been argued to The Athletic by disgruntled employees.

The Athletic has also been told that FIFA, who do not control or operate the Supreme Committee, have received complaints about the bonus exclusions to their grievance system, but employees may be hoping that the world governing body may be able to wield some influence with their Qatari counterparts.

FIFA, whose president Gianni Infantino repeatedly declared Qatar hosted the “best” World Cup ever and who received a €1.6m bonus from his own employers for 2022, declined to comment.

FIFA say the salary and bonus of the FIFA president is decided by the organisation’s compensation sub-committee, the members of which are independent, and the bonus is assessed according to independent industry standards.

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(Photo: Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)

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