Foul play

The abuse Qatar employed while completing World Cup projects will be etched in public memory.

Qatar, a country long flagged for its mistreatment of migrant workers, is again in the spotlight for emptying apartment blocks housing thousands of foreign labourers, most likely to make space for football fans coming for the World Cup. With under three weeks for the start of the tournament, it is difficult to accept the official explanation that the evictions are part of an old drive to ‘reorganise’ areas of the capital Doha. Short of hotel and housing facilities for the expected 1.2 million visiting fans who will descend on the country starting November 20, one reason for the evictions could be to refurbish the emptied properties to adjust these fans. More sinisterly, Qatar also wants to hide from the world the wretched conditions of the country’s migrant workers.