We must remember those who lost their lives working on Qatar’s World Cup pursuit

The ultimate price paid by Zac Cox, and countless others, is not something that should be forgotten any time soon, says David Harding

Officially, 37 people have died in incidents linked to stadiums in the Gulf (AFP/Getty)

On 21 November 2022, England’s football players will begin their World Cup campaign in Qatar at the newly refurbished Khalifa International Stadium in Doha.

In February 2017, at the same Khalifa stadium, Zac Cox fell 40 metres (130ft) to his death when a catwalk he was trying to help install collapsed. To date, Cox is the only known Briton to have died while working on a Qatar 2022 World Cup stadium.

The choice of venue by tournament officials for England’s first game, following the glitzy draw in Doha last week, may have been coincidental, but that will not make it any less poignant.

A coroner’s inquest carried out in 2018 said Cox had died working in conditions which were “chaotic, unprofessional, unthinking and downright dangerous”.

Cox’s colleagues spoke of fears that safety equipment they were asked to use was not adequate. “The workers were being asked to use equipment that was not fit for purpose,” added the coroner. “Horribly simple, really.”

The issue of deaths is one that will always dog the Qatar World Cup. Officially, 37 workers have died in incidents directly linked to World Cup stadiums in the Gulf, though 34 are said by Doha officials to be “non-work related”.

We know that Anil Kumar Pasman died at the Al Janoub stadium after being struck by a lorry in 2016. At the same stadium Tej Narayan Tharu fell to his death in August 2018. Both were Nepalese.

NGOs and human rights groups claim the toll is much higher and lost behind the inadequate ways death numbers are compiled in Doha. Last week, The Independent reported on Nepalese children being forced to leave school because their fathers had died working on the World Cup in Qatar.

The Guardian also reported in February that 6,500 workers have died in Qatar since it was chosen as the World Cup host in 2010 – though this is a general figure, not necessarily linked to tournament projects.

In the run-up to the tournament, which kicks-off in November, the English team will be asked to make gestures acknowledging the price paid by construction workers in Qatar. In an era of player protest, it is almost certain that these requests will be heeded.

That Harry Kane will lead the team out at Khalifa to start England’s tournament, of all the eight venues to be used, is something that cannot go unmarked given what happened there five years ago. The ultimate price paid by Cox and others should be recognised.

Yours,

David Harding

International editor