Germany protested Qatar’s human rights record ahead of their World Cup qualifying clash with Iceland on Thursday.
It has been reported that thousands of migrant workers have died during the construction of stadiums in Qatar in recent years.
The Germany players lined up in T-shirts that spelled out “human rights” ahead of kick-off in their first match of the qualifying campaign.
The demonstration follows a similar one made by the Norway team, who wore shirts bearing the message “Human rights on and off the pitch” before they faced Gibraltar on Wednesday evening.
Norway coach Staale Solbakken said the protest was an attempt to put “pressure on FIFA to be even more direct, even firmer with the authorities in Qatar, to impose stricter requirements.”
Human rights organisation Amnesty International this week urged FIFA to put pressure on Qatar to clean up its human rights record.
FIFA “has a responsibility to mitigate human rights risks that arise from the increase in business in these related sectors created by the tournament,” a letter sent to president Gianni Infantino said this week.
“At a minimum, this means FIFA should use the full extent of its influence to urge Qatar to urgently implement and enforce the government’s own reforms to ensure that the labour rights of all migrant workers are protected.”
Research from The Guardian published in February showed that over 6,500 migrant workers from India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka have died in Qatar in the last 10 years.
However, the total death toll is said to be even higher.
Qatar’s legislative body last month announced recommendations to strip migrants of rights they were only recently given.
The recommendations included removing migrant workers’s rights to change jobs during their contract, limiting the number of times they can change jobs, and increasing the proportion of workers who require exit permits to leave the country.
