Governing Bodies
Qatar to step up labour inspections during World Cup
Qatar will intensify labour inspections during the soccer World Cup including extra health and safety checks to protect workers in the Gulf Arab state from exploitation, the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) said on Wednesday.
Rights groups and labour unions have warned that hospitality, transport and security workers are especially vulnerable during the month-long tournament, the first held in a Middle Eastern nation.
“During the World Cup, the Ministry of Labour will implement a dedicated labour inspection campaign, which includes increased health and safety checks,” the ITUC said in a statement.
“A directive on working time to protect workers from unscrupulous employers will also be issued,” it said following a meeting in Doha on Tuesday with labour ministry officials, union representatives and the International Labour Organization.
Qatar’s labour ministry did not respond to a request for comment.
Doha has come under scrutiny and criticism from human rights groups over its treatment of migrant workers in the run-up to the World Cup next month.
It has introduced reforms that include protections against non-payment of wages, a monthly minimum wage of 1,000 riyals ($275) and allowing workers to change employers more easily.
Qatar’s labour law restricts workers to a maximum of 60 hours per week, including overtime which must be paid at a 25% bonus beyond regular salary. Workers are entitled to one day off per week.
Still, pressure on companies to deliver during the tournament, when 1.2 million people are due to visit Qatar, can intensify opportunities for exploitation, said Ruwan Subasinghe, Legal Director of International Transport Workers Federation.
“That there’s going to be a targeted campaign sends a message to employers that just because thousands of people are here, they can’t… get away with certain things,” Subasinghe said, citing pressure to work overtime as an example.
Qatar, where migrant workers and other foreigners make up the majority of the 2.8 million population, is hiring thousands of temporary workers to augment its workforce during the event.
Mustafa Qadri, who heads labour rights consultancy Equidem, warned that inspections may not protect workers against unscrupulous recruiters who commonly charge illegal hefty upfront fees which workers spend years repaying.
He also voiced concern about potential incidents of unpaid wages, abusive conditions and discrimination.
“With tens of thousands of workers coming into the country (Qatar) just doesn’t have the capacity to monitor all of that. So the risk is really high,” Qadri said.
-Reuters
By Kunle Solaja.
Nigeria is set to host the 48th Ordinary General Assembly of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), marking the third time the country will stage the continent’s top football gathering.
The development was confirmed in a statement issued by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), which disclosed that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on the sidelines of the ongoing Africa Forward Summit in Nairobi, Kenya, approved Nigeria’s proposal to host the event.
The approval followed a meeting between President Tinubu and CAF President Patrice Motsepe, attended by Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, NFF President Ibrahim Musa Gusau, former NFF President and Special Adviser to the CAF President Amaju Melvin Pinnick, as well as CAF Acting General Secretary Samson Adamu.
Sports Villages Square affirms that Nigeria previously hosted the CAF Congress at the National Theatre in Lagos in March 1980 and again in February 2009, when the late CAF President Issa Hayatou secured another four-year term in office.
In addition to this year’s 48th Ordinary General Assembly, scheduled for October, Nigeria also secured the hosting rights of the CAF Awards ceremony. The annual awards gala, which celebrates Africa’s top football performers, has been staged in Morocco over the past three years.
Nigeria had earlier hosted the CAF Awards when telecom firm, Globacom, was the headline sponsor. This year’s event will be the seventh to be held in Nigeria after those of 2005, 2008, 2009, 2013, 2014 and 2016.
The CAF Ordinary General Assembly traditionally attracts key football stakeholders from across the continent, including presidents of CAF’s 54 member associations, representatives of the six zonal unions and senior football administrators.
The CAF Awards ceremony is regarded as one of African football’s flagship events, honouring outstanding players, coaches, clubs and officials in a glamorous setting that showcases the continent’s football excellence.
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FIFA’s independent Ethics Committee has banned former Guyana Football Federation (GFF) General Secretary Ian Alves from all football-related activities for five years after finding he sexually harassed female staff members.
FIFA also fined Alves 20,000 Swiss francs ($22,000) after determining that he had breached provisions of the FIFA Code of Ethics relating to the protection of physical and mental integrity, abuse of position and general duties.
“FIFA has a strict stance against all forms of abuse in football,” the organisation said on Monday.
The decision followed a review of written statements from the victims, documents provided by the GFF, submissions from Alves, and other evidence gathered during the investigation.
Alves stepped down from his position in 2024.
The ban came into force on Monday, when the terms of the decision were notified to Alves, and the full grounds for the ruling will be communicated within 60 days in accordance with the Code of Ethics, FIFA added.
The GFF did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. Alves could not immediately be reached for comment.
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FIFA President Gianni Infantino said on Thursday that he planned to seek re-election for a fourth term in a bid to continue to lead the governing body of world soccer.
Infantino confirmed he would run for the 2027–2031 term in the closing moments of the FIFA Congress in Vancouver, which comes less than two months before the start of the World Cup.
The election will be held on March 18 in Morocco, which is set to co-host the 2030 World Cup.
Infantino said he was “honoured and humbled” to have the chance to run for a fourth term.
The Italian-Swiss took office in 2016, replacing Sepp Blatter, and was re-elected unopposed in 2019 and 2023.
Infantino has pushed for the expansion of FIFA competitions during his tenure, with this year’s World Cup in North America the first to feature 48 teams, while the women’s tournament in 2023 has been expanded to 32 teams.
Infantino’s tenure has also drawn some criticism over issues such as high World Cup ticket prices and the decision to award the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize to U.S. President Donald Trump at the World Cup draw in December.
Earlier this month, the council of South American football’s governing body (CONMEBOL) said in a statement it would unanimously support the 56-year-old if he decided to seek another term.
-Reuters
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