Qatar's Emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani attends a meeting with Russia's President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the 6th summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-building Measures in Asia (CICA), in Astana, Kazakhstan Oct. 13, 2022. (Credit: Sputnik/Vyacheslav Prokofyev/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo)
DOHA — Qatar has faced unprecedented criticism since it was picked as the host of the 2022 World Cup, some of which has amounted to slander, the country's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani said in a televised address on Tuesday.
"We dealt with the situation from the beginning in good faith. We even considered some of the criticism as positive and constructive," he said.
"But it appears to us that the campaign is continuing and expanding and contains slander and double standards.
Qatar has received criticism from human rights organizations after spending $220 billion to build structures for the event, such as its stadiums, hotels, railways, and an expansion of its airport, primarily produced by workers who are often from low socioeconomic countries and are working under dire working conditions, high heat, and lack protections and adequate labor laws, according to Human Rights Watch.
Although it is unclear how many workers have died or been injured during Qatar's decade-long preparations for the event, a Guardian investigation in 2021 revealed that more than 6,500 migrant workers from India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka have died in Qatar since the country obtained its right to host the World Cup more than a decade ago. However, the death toll is estimated to be higher, since these numbers did not include migrant workers form countries such as the Philippines and Kenya.
Reporting by Ghaida Ghantous, Nadine Awadalla and Moataz Mohamed, Editing by Andrew Heavens