Speak to workers and find out the truth, Southgate told

*Qatar 2022 CEO tells UK football manager to speak to workers to learn the truth

*See in person how the workers have benefited from working in Qatar, Nasser al-Khater to Southgate. “I think before making statements like that when it comes to the workers, he needs to come here, speak to workers, and understand what workers get out of being here. There are isolated cases, these are the cases which make it to the media. However, I can assure him that if he comes here, speaks to the majority of workers, they will tell you how they have put their children through University, and they will tell you how they built their houses for them and their families. These are the stories that nobody hears,” al-Khater said.

 

 

Qatar 2022 chief executive officer Nasser al-Khater has urged Gareth Southgate to "pick his words very carefully" after the England national team manager questioned the treatment of migrant workers in Qatar.Southgate had said it would be a ‘great shame’ if some England fans didn't travel to the FIFA World Cup Qatar over safety concerns. Al-Khater hit back at Southgate and said he hopes to meet him when the England coach arrives in Qatar for today’s World Cup draw. “My question would be who from the England squad has been to Qatar? My question to the coach is has he been to Qatar?” al-Khater told Sky Sports News.“Is he basing his opinions and his public statements on what he has read? Because it is kind of an issue when you just base an opinion on which you are very vocal about on things which you have read. Somebody with a lot of influence such as Southgate, somebody with a big audience that listens to what he has said has got to pick his words carefully,” Qatar 2022 chief executive added.Al-Khater said Southgate should see in person the benefits workers have made after working in Qatar. “I think before making statements like that when it comes to the workers, he needs to come here, speak to workers, and understand what workers get out of being here. There are isolated cases, these are the cases which make it to the media. However, I can assure him that if he comes here, speaks to the majority of workers, they will tell you how they have put their children through University, and they will tell you how they built their houses for them and their families. These are the stories that nobody hears,” al-Khater said.“So I look forward to welcoming him here, I look forward to meeting him at the draw. He can listen to my opinion. He doesn’t have to believe it, but at least he needs to go that far to understand different opinions, to understand different cultures,” he added.**Al Thawadi: ‘Qatar’s World Cup is historic – and even our fiercest critics accept the progress we have made’HE Hassan al-Thawadi, Secretary General of the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC), responded to Qatar’s critics during the FIFA Congress yesterday, saying the country’s hosting of the FIFA World Cup represented an historic opportunity to change perceptions about the Middle East and Arab world. He also said the tournament had acted as a catalyst to drive workers’ rights reforms in the country.Al-Thawadi outlined the major progress delivered by Qatar and the SC in recent years in relation to workers’ rights in a direct rebuttal to Lise Klaveness, President of the Norwegian Football Federation (NFF), who discussed human rights and workers’ welfare during her address. Al-Thawadi said Qatar would provide a benchmark in relation to legacy and worker reforms for future mega-event hosts. Al-Thawadi expressed disappointment in the NFF for not requesting a meeting and making no attempt to understand the challenges faced in relation to workers’ rights. He called for dialogue and reiterated that Qatar had always been open and transparent with critics. Al-Thawadi also said that even Qatar’s fiercest critics over the past decade had recognised the progress delivered by the country in recent years.