Qatar FIFA World Cup Organisers Step in After Firm Fails to Pay Stadium Workers Salaries; Premier League Clubs to Hold Minute's Silence Before Restart (Football Round-up)

A Qatari company that was assisting in the construction of a stadium for the 2022 FIFA World Cup has now been removed from the project because of its failure to pay labourers for months, the organisers said on June 10.

According to Amnesty International, around 100 workers that were employed by Qatar Meta Coats (QMC)  to work on the Al Bayt Stadium were left unpaid for around seven months. 

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"Although recent payments will provide some welcome relief for workers, Qatar’s World Cup organizers told us they had known about the salary delays since July 2019,” said Steve Cockburn, Amnesty International’s head of economic and social justice. “This raises the question of why Qatar allowed workers to continue working for months without pay.”

"For years we have been urging Qatar to reform the system, but clearly change has not come fast enough. It shouldn’t take an Amnesty investigation for workers to be paid what they are owed.”

Reports suggest that QMC has also not renewed residency permits for most of its workers. Most of the workers come from countries like Ghana, Kenya, Nepal and the Philippines. The workers who have been interviewed have said they had paid fees ranging from  $900 to $2,000 to recruitment agents in their own countries for the job. 

Amnesty said the tournament organiser’s worker welfare standards were inadequate to prevent abuses and provide timely remedies.

Minute's Silent Tribute Before Restart

All Premier Leagues clubs will observe a minute of silence to pay their respect to those who have died during the pandemic before the match restarts. The tribute will be held before the opening fixtures on June 17 followed by the other round of games next week and  kits will include a heart-shaped badge in honour of NHS and frontline staff. 

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According to the latest stakeholder meeting on Thursday, the clubs have discussed a range of medical and operational measures. It is also stated that there will be limited workers allowed into the stadium on a matchday and ground will be split into zones, including the tunnel and pitchside.

All remaining fixtures are set to be played without spectators with a strict limit of 300 people that include the broadcast staff, written media, commentators, doping officials and scouts. 

The league will resume with Aston Villa against Sheffield United and Manchester against Arsenal on June 17. 

Stick to Rules or Face Closed Camps: La Liga to Players

The president of La Liga, Javier Tebas has threatened players to close the training camps if the social distancing protocols are flouted after Barcelona defender  Nelson Semedo was caught breaching protocols. 

On Monday, Semedo was seen on a Spanish television between more than 20 people. The Barca said on their website that he did not train on Thursday due to the league’s protocol which provides strict rules on players activities. 

According to Tebas, Semodo will have to test negative for Covid-19 before he is permitted to play this Saturday against Real Mallorca. 

Last month, four Sevilla players flouted rules by attending a large gathering and Tebas said if the problem continues then the league might have to take action.

“If players keep breaking the rules we’ll have to consider having obligatory training camps. We hope it doesn’t come to that but if people keep going to barbecues and parties we might have to,” Tebas told reporters on a conference call on Thursday.

“We wanted to do this a few weeks ago but we saw that players were complying with the protocols. But if we start to see three or four players at each club disobeying these rules then we’ll have no other remedy,” he added. 

Alli Handed Suspension by FA

Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Dele Alli is going to miss the first match of the Premier League since the Football Association (FA) handed him a one match ban over his social media post. Alli has been found guilty of misconduct after mocking the coronavirus outbreak.

Alli was charged with breaching the Rule E3 (1) of the FA after he posted a video on social media of himself at an airport wearing a mask and apparently mocking a man of Asian appearance.

The FA said Alli has also been fined 50,000 pounds ($63,280.00) and is supposed to  undertake a face-to-face education course after he was found guilty by an independent regulatory commission.

With the result, Alli is going to miss Tottenham’s first match back in the Premier League with rivals Manchester United on Jun 19.

Mumbai City FC in eSports challenge

Indian Super League’s (ISL’s) Mumbai City FC and its sister international clubs owned by City Football Group (CFG) are going to host a group-wide global ''EA SPORTS FIFA 20'' challenge for the first time on June 13.

In a statement issued by Mumbai City FC, the club said the CFG FIFA Challenge will see pro-FIFA players and eSports teams alongside footballers from men’s and women’s teams from various Groups and will test their skills on a virtual field.

Eight clubs -- Manchester City, New York City FC, Melbourne City FC, Yokohama F Marinos, Girona FC, Montevideo City Torque, Sichuan Jiuniu FC and Mumbai City FC, are going to be a part of the matches and gaming challenges.

Mumbai City FC is going to be represented by the 28-year-old midfielder Rowllin Borges, along with three fans.

"We're happy to be able to extend our support to charities through this one-of-a-kind event," Borges said in the release.

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