'Workers' World Cup' kicks off for Qatar's migrant labourers

Blog: An annual football tournament for foreign labourers is taking place in the Qatari capital just weeks before a report is set to "expose" exploitation allegedly rife in the country.

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The New Arab

19 Mar, 2016

Qatar has been accused of exposing workers to harsh conditions [Getty]

Thousands of foreign labourers are taking part in the annual Workers' Cup football tournament in the Qatari capital, Doha.

Labourers from across the nation's commercial sectors attended a grand opening ceremony held at Qatar Sports Club on Friday night.

The week-long event is set to gather supporters and players of varying demographics, ethnicities and social standing to encourage positive social change within Qatar.

But the tournament finale falls just days before a major report is set to "expose" Qatar's alleged abuse of migrant workers on World Cup sites, its authors say.

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The Amnesty International report, expected to be published on 31 March, will look into exploitation of labourers and provide evidence of their working conditions since the start of the project in 2010.

The study is based on interviews with more than 200 migrant workers and promises to deliver photographs, video and testimonies.

Qatar employs an estimated 1.8 million migrant workers, many of whom work in construction projects that were started after the Gulf country won the bid to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Players and fans at the Workers' Cup are set to win tournament prizes in excess of QR 100,000 ($27,400).