Thousands of migrant workers have died since Qatar was awarded to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Read their stories.

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Since Qatar was awarded the 2022 FIFA World Cup, thousands of migrant workers have died. In search for answers, journalism platform Blankspot collected stories directly from their families. We then created Cards of Qatar – a catalogue of football cards that instead of facts about players tell the stories of the workers who never returned.

Read their stories and long form articles highlighting the reality of the situation for the migrant workers who built Qatar. Read more

THE CARDS


Migrant worker
Bangladesh
In memory of

Mohammed Suman Miah

1986—2020
Years
of
Age
34
World
Cup
Qatar
22
cardsofqatar.com
Migrant worker
Bangladesh
In memory of

Mohammed Suman Miah

1986—2020
Mohammed Suman Miah from Bangladesh died in Qatar on April 29, 2020 at the age of 34. The death certificate from the authorities states that he died of heart failure as a result of natural causes, but nothing about what these causes are. The family had borrowed $ 7,000 for the visa. Eventually, he got a job at a construction site. The temperature when he died was about 38 degrees Celsius in the shade. Suman's colleagues told his family that he died towards the end of the shift from a heart attack and that he was taken to the hospital but that his life could not be saved.
— told to the journalistic platform Blankspot
FULL STORY
cardsofqatar.com
Migrant worker
Bangladesh
In memory of

Zobair Ahmed

1988—2020
Years
of
Age
32
World
Cup
Qatar
22
cardsofqatar.com
Migrant worker
Bangladesh
In memory of

Zobair Ahmed

1988—2020
In February 2020, Farzana Akhter lost her husband and gave birth to their first daughter. Instead of celebrating a new life, she had to go to the airport and claim Zobair Ahmed’s dead body along with $410 and a death certificate. He was 32 and had worked as a driver in Qatar for nine years. The official cause of death said “strangulation”. It was unclear if he had committed suicide or accidentally ended up hanging in his helmet strap. “I refuse to believe that he would have taken his own life,” the widow says. “I see no reason why.”
— told to the journalistic platform Blankspot
FULL STORY
cardsofqatar.com
Migrant worker
Nepal
In memory of

Tul Bahadur Gharti

1986—2020
Years
of
Age
34
World
Cup
Qatar
22
cardsofqatar.com
Migrant worker
Nepal
In memory of

Tul Bahadur Gharti

1986—2020
Tul Bahadur Gharti from Nepal died on the night of May 28, 2020, at the age of 34. His death certificate issued by the Qatari authorities states that his death was due to "acute heart failure due to natural causes". "He never complained of any symptoms. I have a hard time believing that he would just die," Ms Bipana told Amnesty International. She wanted his body to be autopsied, but was told by his neighbors in Qatar that it would not be possible to determine the cause of death. "We had no children of our own and it feels as if they set my husband on fire and as if I am burning in oil".
— told to the journalistic platform Blankspot
FULL STORY
cardsofqatar.com
Migrant worker
Bangladesh
In memory of

Shohag Madbar

1990—2020
Years
of
Age
30
World
Cup
Qatar
22
cardsofqatar.com
Migrant worker
Bangladesh
In memory of

Shohag Madbar

1990—2020
On May 15, 2020, migrant Shohag Madbar died at his room at the age of 30. The death certificate from the Qatari government mentiones the cause of death as a “heart attack”. Due to the uncertain job situation and the irregular wage, Shohag lived with a constant tension. The family believes the pressure caused a “mental shock”. When asked, Shohag’s uncle Md Kamal Uddin said that the family had been struggling since his death. – Shohag’s father who is a farmer his mother and their two daughters lost all dreams when they sent their only young breadearner to Qatar.
— told to the journalistic platform Blankspot
FULL STORY
cardsofqatar.com
Migrant worker
Bangladesh
In memory of

Suhman Miah

1986—2020
Years
of
Age
34
World
Cup
Qatar
22
cardsofqatar.com
Migrant worker
Bangladesh
In memory of

Suhman Miah

1986—2020
At the end of the workday, he fell down outside the construction site where he worked. And was sent to a local hospital where doctor declared him dead. “I could not believe it at first since he was in good health”, says the widow. Sumi Akter is now worried about school fees and the future life of her children: “Daily life is hard.”
— told to the journalistic platform Blankspot
FULL STORY
cardsofqatar.com
Migrant worker
Nepal
In memory of

Manjur Kha Pathan

1981—2021
Years
of
Age
40
World
Cup
Qatar
22
cardsofqatar.com
Migrant worker
Nepal
In memory of

Manjur Kha Pathan

1981—2021
Manjur Kha Pathan from Nepal died in Qatar on February 9, 2021, at the age of 40 years. His death certificate issued states that the heart disease was “unspecified” and it does not provide information about the underlying causes. His brother Ahmed Hussain told Amnesty International that Manjur worked as a truck driver and that he was healthy. They often talked about his job, and he complained about long working days, the heat and that the air conditioning in the truck was often broken. But he never complained about his health. Because he died at home and not at work, the case is not covered by the compensation laws in Qatar.
— told to the journalistic platform Blankspot
FULL STORY
cardsofqatar.com

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