Amnesty calls for Northern Ireland to use friendly to pressure Qatar

Amnesty International has called for Qatar’s friendly with Northern Ireland on Sunday in Crewe to be used to pressure the Qatari government into improving conditions and rights of the country’s 1.6m migrant workers, including the “thousands involved in building the infrastructure for 2022 World Cup”.

The match is being used by Michael O’Neill’s team as part of the preparation for the crucial Euro 2016 qualifier against Romania in Belfast on 13 June. Although Amnesty believes the match at Crewe Alexandra’s Gresty Road should be played, the human rights group wants it to be part of a wider focus on Qatar’s continuing abuse of foreign workers in the nation.

"We don't advocate the cancellation or boycotting of games like this," said Neil Durkin, an Amnesty spokesperson. "Instead, we want to see everyone concerned using fixtures like this one as an opportunity to maintain pressure on the Qatari authorities to improve the conditions and rights of the 1.6m migrant workers in Qatar, including thousands of workers involved in building the infrastructure for 2022."

After playing Northern Ireland on Sunday afternoon Qatar, managed by the Uruguayan, José Daniel Carreño, face Scotland on 5 June. Amnesty believes the Scottish FA along with all other football stakeholders should harness their respective influence to ensure Qatar improves conditions.

“We want to see concerted pressure from all quarters – the FA, the football bodies in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, Fifa, sponsors, the players and fans, as well as governments,” Durkin said. “Basically everyone with a voice and/or influence. The issue is firmly on the international agenda and the Qataris have been making promises, but our assessment is that they’re nowhere near living up to them yet.”

Qatar has a shocking record of limiting foreign worker rights and abusing migrant employees and various human rights groups believe the country has done little to improve conditions despite pledging to do so a year ago.

In 2014 Nepalese employees in Qatar died at the rate of one every two days and as the figures for the Indian, Sri Lankan and Bangladeshis workers were unknown this raised fears the rate could be as many as a death per day.

Qatar are playing Northern Ireland and Scotland as preparation for trying to qualify for the 2018 World Cup, having never played in the tournament. The Emirate has been drawn alongside China, Hong Kong, Bhutan and Maldives.

Northern Ireland stand in second place in Group F, a point behind Romania at the halfway point of the 10-match qualifying phase. This means the nation has a real chance of playing in a major tournament for the first time since the 1986 World Cup.

Regarding the friendly with Qatar, O’Neill said: “The players will be very well prepared for the qualifier. They know the expectations in terms of maintaining their own fitness and I have no concerns about that. We have a really good bunch of lads, good professionals, easy to work with.

“The players have all been given programmes to follow ahead of the squad coming together. The biggest thing is that if a player turns up and has not looked after himself or is not in shape he won’t be in the squad going forward.

“That would be a very stupid thing for any player to do given what hopefully we could be involved with down the line. When we meet up the players have to be ready to play.”

(Guardian service)