The 2022 World Cup has been a spectacular football occasion. The results have been thrilling, and matches have left fans on the edges of their seats. While the 2022 World Cup is a football competition that no one will forget in a while, there’s another fascinating aspect of the tournament that has got many people talking – the magnificent stadiums. To host the 2022 World Cup, the Qatari government invested in constructing seven brand-new stadiums. All the news outlets have been raving about the intense matches in the competition, but these stadiums are always worth all the hype.
The new Qatar stadiums were enhanced considerably to create a comfortable atmosphere for football fans and players. These stadiums feature top-notch cooling technologies, unique shade designs, and retractable roofs. It’s safe to say that these stadiums are architectural marvels. But there have been some unsavoury tales about the construction process of these stadiums. While these reports are mainly unconfirmed, they are pretty disturbing. And that’s why we’ll spend time reviewing the secret stories behind each of them.
Let’s begin!
Alt: A soccer stadium filled to maximum capacity
What Happened During Qatar’s Preparation For The 2022 World Cup?
As previously stated, the Qatari government has prepared seven new stadiums to host World Cup events in 2022.There has been massive support worldwide, and the football action hasn’t disappointed. Players can stake the results of ongoing matches on bet crypto.
However, these stadiums may have come at an unimaginable cost. Now, this cost does not relate solely to the financial implications of building these structures. The country’s government has come under plenty of pressure from the international community for its treatment of migrant workers while constructing these stadiums. According to several unconfirmed reports, construction companies were guilty of withholding staff pay, confiscating their passports, and offering unsafe work conditions.
Government records clearly state that the government hired 60,000 migrant workers to participate in large-scale projects. These workers were split into different groups and responsible for different stages of the construction. Many of these workers were recruited from other countries, including Nepal, Bangladesh, India, and the Philippines. Earlier this year, a report claimed that about 6,500 of Qatar’s migrant workers had lost their lives during their work. This information was obtained from the embassies of workers travelling to the country.
The Qatari government has since disputed these claims. The government claims that only 37 fatalities occurred before the completion of its projects, and only three of these deaths were associated with construction work. Different international bodies and labor rights movements heavily criticised the statement issued by the Qatari government. To save face, the government, according to the International Labour Organization, understated the figures.They considered the government’s announcement a weak attempt to sweep their secrets under the rug. The government didn’t account for workers who died due to respiratory or heart failure.
The International Labour Organization explained that heatstroke was a significant cause of death among migrant workers. They recorded that the harsh Qatari heat had killed 50 migrant workers in 2021 and injured about 500. What’s more shocking for the global community is that this is not the first reported case of migrant worker exploitation in Qatar. But little or nothing has been done to curb the situation.
What Will Happen To Qatar’s Stadiums After The World Cup?
This question has been on the mind of many sports fans and onlookers since the start of the World Cup. They wonder what will become of these magnificent structures after the world’s biggest football competition is over. Many of these stadiums were purpose-built for the FIFA World Cup, and unless there is another set of large-scale changes, the government may struggle to repurpose them.
Anyone would expect the Qatar government to find a way to preserve their stadiums due to their substantial financial cost and all the hard work that went into the construction process. It won’t make sense to demolish seven world-class stadiums because the World Cup is over. There has been no official statement about the future of Qatar’s stadiums, and the world is watching to see what will happen next. There’s a huge chance that many of these structures will be modified and repurposed. Early reports indicate that the Lusail stadium may be reconstructed to form shops, housing units, medical clinics, cafes, and schools.
The only stadium with a clear fate is Stadium 974. This stadium was made mostly from reusable shipping containers. The stadium has been thoroughly deconstructed, and the site will be used to create a waterfront. Many stadium seats have been donated to neighbouring countries and repurposed in other parts of the country. You can also expect that any of these world-class venues that are not taken down will have their stadium capacity halved.
Conclusion
The 2022 FIFA World Cup is a remarkable event like none other. And the stadiums have played a massive part in the success of this tournament. While the construction of these stadiums has resulted in remarkable architectural achievements, they’ve come at a considerable cost. These stadiums cost millions of dollars to complete and may have also cost the lives of migrant workers. No doubt, the world will never forget the stadiums of Qatar 2022.
