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
Nepal
In memory of

Phurparani Tamang

1996—2021
Years
of
Age
25
World
Cup
Qatar
22
cardsofqatar.com
Migrant worker
Nepal
In memory of

Phurparani Tamang

1996—2021
After a mandatory medical examination, Phurparani Tamang was considered completely healthy and received her work visa. – Once in Qatar, she got a job as a cleaner, which she was happy with because she did not have to work outside in the sun, says her mother. One day she was taken to the hospital. – She told us there was no reason to worry. But a few days later I learned that she had died. I just cannot believe she's gone. Her body landed at Kathmandu airport just four days after she died and her mother traveled there to receive it. – Our daughter who went to support her family, left full of life, and came home dead.
— 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

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
Nepal
In memory of

Yam Bahadur Rana

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

Yam Bahadur Rana

1986—2020
Yam Bahadur Rana from Nepal died in Qatar on February 22, 2020, at the age of 34. He was married and had two children: a daughter who was 11 and a son who was 13 years old. The death certificate states the cause as “acute heart failure due to natural causes”. Yam worked as a security guard at Hamad International Airport. His wife Bhumisara Rana tells Amnesty International that she believes his death has to do with the working conditions. – He had to sit out under the sun for long periods. I think he had a heart attack because he was dehydrated. He never said he was sick, she tells Amnesty.
— told to the journalistic platform Blankspot
FULL STORY
cardsofqatar.com
Migrant worker
India
In memory of

Bolumalla Gangadhar

1969—2019
Years
of
Age
50
World
Cup
Qatar
22
cardsofqatar.com
Migrant worker
India
In memory of

Bolumalla Gangadhar

1969—2019
One morning in October 2019, while Bolumalla Gangadhar was in a holiday in India, he screamed in agony in the bathroom. - It was a heart attack, but no one in our family has had heart problems before, says his son Kiran. Even though it has been a while now since the father died during the holiday at home in India, Kiran cannot let go of what happened. How could a completely healthy and fit man suddenly die from a heart attack? - He never said anything about his job. Not even what he did. He only repeated this mantra: "Do not come here. You do not know what it is like here, and you do not want to know it either”.
— told to the journalistic platform Blankspot
FULL STORY
cardsofqatar.com

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