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

Mohammad Russel Parvez

1987—2020
Years
of
Age
33
World
Cup
Qatar
22
cardsofqatar.com
Migrant worker
Bangladesh
In memory of

Mohammad Russel Parvez

1987—2020
The body of Mohammad Russel Parvez was found in a trash bin in the Qatar few days before Christmas in 2020. He was 33 and an only son. Shirina Akhter Banu, his mother, received his body in the home village, Doulatpur, in western Bangladesh the following month. He was a construction worker, when he fell from a 10-story building, his mother says. After his death, the wife moved in with his parents. She was satisfied with the financial compensation from the company, but no money in the world can replace the loss of a human life, she says.
— told to the journalistic platform Blankspot
FULL STORY
cardsofqatar.com
Migrant worker
Nepal
In memory of

Kubir Singh BK

1970—2020
Years
of
Age
50
World
Cup
Qatar
22
cardsofqatar.com
Migrant worker
Nepal
In memory of

Kubir Singh BK

1970—2020
19 years ago, Sita Kumari's husband Kubir Singh BK traveled to Qatar to secure the future of their two daughters and son. Now he would soon go back home forever. During his last talk with the family, he said that he was done with Qatar. - But it was too late. He was wrapped in a box, says the widow Sita Kumari. According to the family, the company that Kubir Singh BK gave 19 years of his life did not ensure that he received the necessary care when he became so sick that he died. - They forced him to work even when he was sick. Now we are without support, and we worry about the future.
— told to the journalistic platform Blankspot
FULL STORY
cardsofqatar.com
Migrant worker
Bangladesh
In memory of

Delowar Hossain

1978—2020
Years
of
Age
42
World
Cup
Qatar
22
cardsofqatar.com
Migrant worker
Bangladesh
In memory of

Delowar Hossain

1978—2020
In May 2020, Delowar Hossaini's body returned to the capital Dhaka. When he suffered a stroke, he was taken to a hospital, but his life could not be saved. The family says it was his second stroke since he started working on the irrigated farm. - After the first one, he traveled home for a while to recharge, says the widow Nasrin Akhter. The family received compensation from the company and the government in Bangladesh. With that money, the family became debt free. As soon as her two sons, who are now in high school, have graduated, they both plan to travel to Qatar.
— told to the journalistic platform Blankspot
FULL STORY
cardsofqatar.com
Migrant worker
Bangladesh
In memory of

Mohammad Shahid Miah

1991—2020
Years
of
Age
29
World
Cup
Qatar
22
cardsofqatar.com
Migrant worker
Bangladesh
In memory of

Mohammad Shahid Miah

1991—2020
The heavy rains in Qatar in the autumn of 2020 were a death sentence for Mohammad Shahid Miah. The water found its way to the floor where he lived and reached the electricity. When Miah stepped on the wet floor, he was electrified and died. Mohammad Shahid Miah had paid a recruitment company more than $ 4,800 for the job in Qatar. The debt remains after his death and his parents now have to pay. His father says they are still waiting for compensation from the government.
— told to the journalistic platform Blankspot
FULL STORY
cardsofqatar.com
Migrant worker
Bangladesh
In memory of

Zohorul Islam

1997–2020
Years
of
Age
23
World
Cup
Qatar
22
cardsofqatar.com
Migrant worker
Bangladesh
In memory of

Zohorul Islam

1997–2020
Zohorul’s death in Qatar couldn’t have happened at a worse time. The family was even before his death passing through economic hardship.  They had borrowed money from a local NGO, moneylenders and relatives to send Zohorul to Qatar to work as a cleaner. Rina Akter, elder sister, and Sharmin Akter, younger sister, of Zohorul claimed that their only brother did not have any previous health complications or diseases in Bangladesh.
— told to the journalistic platform Blankspot
FULL STORY
cardsofqatar.com
Migrant worker
Nepal
In memory of

Hari Prasad Makhim

1962—2019
Years
of
Age
57
World
Cup
Qatar
22
cardsofqatar.com
Migrant worker
Nepal
In memory of

Hari Prasad Makhim

1962—2019
Eleven years ago, the family decided that the father would travel to Qatar to work. - We did not have money to be able to send children to school or to buy food or to pay the rent, says the widow Bishnu Kumari Makhim. The job as a driver was intense. He drove workers to and from their homes and construction sites. One afternoon, the brakes of the bus suddenly stopped working and the collision was inevitable. - When I called him on the morning of the accident day, he said he was not feeling well. When I called a few hours later, he did not answer, the widow says.
— told to the journalistic platform Blankspot
FULL STORY
cardsofqatar.com

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