Sweden withdraws from Qatar’s training camp over workers’ rights
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Stockholm (AFP)
The Swedish Football Association (SVFF) said on Wednesday that they had withdrawn the training camp in January in Qatar due to concerns about the rights of migrant workers who are involved in the preparations for the 2022 World Cup.
The decision to withdraw came after discussions between SVFF and Swedish domestic clothing late on Tuesday.
“It is clear that there is agreement among the clubs against organizing this camp in Qatar,” SVFF president Hakan Sjostrand said in a statement.
“The January camp is sportingly important to us and we will work to ensure that it can take place elsewhere next year.”
Sweden and their other Nordic countries have spearheaded a campaign to pressure FIFA to create better conditions for migrant workers in Qatar.
Robert Falck, president of the Swedish giants AIK Stockholm, had branded the proposed trip “idiotic” when asked about it on the Swedish TV channel TV4.
As next year’s global football show approaches, Qatar has repeatedly come under focus for workers’ welfare issues, including the death toll, which has led to protests from European sides including Germany.
In late August, Amnesty International called on Qatar to do more to investigate the deaths of workers, claiming that a number of workers had been killed.
It was this report that prompted Sjostrand and his co-leaders in the Nordic federations to send a letter to FIFA on September 1 to “put pressure on the Qatari leaders”.
Norway had even threatened to boycott the final, but at an extra congress in June, that option was rejected by a large majority.
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