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UPDATE: France backs compensation for migrant workers

October 17, 2022

From Miriam Karmali, Freedom United

Good news! Last week the French Football Federation (FFF) announced its support for a compensation fund for migrant workers in Qatar who have suffered abuses in bringing us the World Cup – including forced labor.

Let’s get this verbal commitment made publicly available on their website and encourage other national Football Associations (FAs) to follow.

Send FAs a message today!

Send Football Associations a message

Over 4,000 in the Freedom United community have sent messages to the FFF and other national FAs calling on them to support a compensation fund. Let’s keep up the pressure to see more FAs take action!

During a conference last week, the FFF vice president announced that they would be joining a dozen other federations to work on “a compensation fund for all those who have been victims of work accidents during the construction of the World Cup”.[1]

Cities around France including Paris, Marseille, Strasbourg and Lyon have even announced they won’t be showing World Cup matches on big screens in protest of human rights abuses committed against migrant workers.[2]

As part of the #PayUpFIFA campaign with Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and FairSquare Projects,[3] we’re urging FIFA to set aside at least $440 million – equivalent to the prize money for teams participating in the tournament – for the hundreds of thousands of migrant workers who have suffered human rights abuses over the course of the past twelve years in preparation for the World Cup.

Though pressure on FIFA is building with football fans[4] and brand sponsors joining the calls for compensation, FIFA has yet to respond.

With just over one month to go, this is the moment for FAs to show they stand with all of us on the side of human rights. We know that our loud collective voice is hard to ignore so let’s keep sending them messages. Ask them for their public support today.

In solidarity,

Miriam and the team supporting the Freedom United community