ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½

Skip to main content

Dutch World Cup players to meet migrant workers in Qatar

Coach Louis van Gaal of the Netherlands, left, and defender Virgil van Dijk of the Netherlands will be amongst the individuals meeting migrant workers in Qatar ahead of their World Cup opener. (Photo by Rene Nijhuis/Orange Pictures/BSR Agency/Getty Images) Coach Louis van Gaal of the Netherlands, left, and defender Virgil van Dijk of the Netherlands will be amongst the individuals meeting migrant workers in Qatar ahead of their World Cup opener. (Photo by Rene Nijhuis/Orange Pictures/BSR Agency/Getty Images)
Share
THE HAGUE, NETHERLANDS -

The Dutch World Cup squad will meet a group of migrant workers in Qatar after a training session there ahead of the team's first match as part of the Dutch soccer federation's push to promote human rights at the tournament.

The Royal Dutch Soccer Association announced the plan Thursday night, on the eve of coach Louis van Gaal announcing his final squad on Friday.

"First of all, we are going to Qatar to become world champions, but of course we look beyond football," Van Gaal said in a statement.

He said that, as a team, "we find it important to meet the people involved. We therefore invite them to our training to give them a nice memory as well."

The announcement came days after FIFA urged teams to focus on soccer at the World Cup, despite concerns over attitudes towards LGBTQ2S+ fans and the treatment of migrant workers. The Dutch federation said it organized the meeting with 20 workers together with FIFA and a labour union.

Migrant labourers who built Qatar's World Cup stadiums often worked long hours under harsh conditions and were subjected to discrimination, wage theft and other abuses as their employers evaded accountability, London-based rights group Equidem said in a 75-page report released Thursday.

Under heavy international scrutiny, Qatar has enacted a number of labour reforms in recent years that have been praised by Equidem and other rights groups. But advocates say abuses are still widespread and that workers have few avenues for redress.

Qatari officials accuse critics of ignoring the reforms and applying double-standards to the first Arab or Muslim nation to host the tournament.

Ambet E. Yuson, general secretary of the Building and Wood Workers' International union, said migrant workers involved in construction projects linked to the World Cup have had better protection, but the same cannot be said for other workers in Qatar.

"Employers, often with impunity, continue to defy the law and breach the human rights of migrant workers. With the tournament approaching, progress on universal human rights standard has become urgent," Yuson said.

The Netherlands, three times a World Cup runner-up, opens its campaign in Qatar against Senegal on Nov. 21. Van Gaal's team also plays Ecuador and the host nation in the group stage.

CTVNews.ca ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½

The province's public security minister said he was "shocked" Thursday amid reports that a body believed to be that of a 14-year-old boy was found this week near a Hells Angels hideout near Quebec City.

Since she was a young girl growing up in Vancouver, Ginny Lam says her mom Yat Hei Law made it very clear she favoured her son William, because he was her male heir.

An Ontario man says it is 'unfair' to pay a $1,500 insurance surcharge because his four-year-old SUV is at a higher risk of being stolen.

For the last seven-and-half months, Toronto resident Heather McArthur has been living out what she describes as her 'worst nightmare.' On Feb. 7, her then three-year-old son Jacob along with his father Loc Phu 'Jay' Le departed for what was supposed to be a week-long visit to Vietnam to celebrate the Lunar New Year with family, McArthur says.

Local Spotlight

They say a dog is a man’s best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.

Paleontologists from the Royal B.C. Museum have uncovered "a trove of extraordinary fossils" high in the mountains of northern B.C., the museum announced Thursday.

The search for a missing ancient 28-year-old chocolate donkey ended with a tragic discovery Wednesday.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is celebrating an important milestone in the organization's history: 50 years since the first women joined the force.

It's been a whirlwind of joyful events for a northern Ontario couple who just welcomed a baby into their family and won the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot last month.

A Good Samaritan in New Brunswick has replaced a man's stolen bottle cart so he can continue to collect cans and bottles in his Moncton neighbourhood.

David Krumholtz, known for roles like Bernard the Elf in The Santa Clause and physicist Isidor Rabi in Oppenheimer, has spent the latter part of his summer filming horror flick Altar in Winnipeg. He says Winnipeg is the most movie-savvy town he's ever been in.

Edmontonians can count themselves lucky to ever see one tiger salamander, let alone the thousands one local woman says recently descended on her childhood home.

A daytrip to the backcountry turned into a frightening experience for a Vancouver couple this weekend.

Stay Connected