In light of the deaths of construction workers in Qatar, and the questions raised over the Qatari bid, does the Commission intend to apply any diplomatic pressure regarding the host nation of the FIFA World Cup 2022?
There have been many questions raised over the successful FIFA World Cup bids of Russia and Qatar in 2018 and 2022, respectively. Considering the poor treatment and deaths of construction workers in Qatar, as well as the most recent corruption charges of nine FIFA officials and five corporate executives, does the Commission intend to support the hosts for 2018 and 2022?
In light of the appalling human rights abuses which contravene EU employment and social policy, will the Commission go so far as to ask Members States to boycott both hosts in 2018 and 2022 unless replacement hosts are found?
As regards the working conditions of migrant workers in Qatar, the Commission refers the Honourable Member to its answer in question 8495/20151.
The decision to grant the organization of the football World Cup 2022 lies with FIFA and its constituent federations.
The Commission considers that any decision on whether to re-launch the bidding process for the 2022 World Cup should take into due consideration the on-going investigations conducted by the Swiss authorities.
The Commission cooperates regularly with UEFA, which is an important partner in its dialogue with the sport movement. In agreement with good governance principles shared by many sport organisations, the Commission considers that there is a clear need for increased transparency in the awarding process. In the context of the EU Expert Group on Good Governance, the Commission, Member States and sports governing bodies are drawing up guiding principles for the award procedure for major sports events.