FIFA (International Football Federation) launched this Wednesday (27) a legacy fund of US$50 million (R$291 million) aimed at social programs, in collaboration with the host of the 2022 World Cup, Qatar , the WHO (World Health Organization), the WTO (World Trade Organization) and UNHCR, the UN Agency (United Nations) for Refugees.
In November 2022, world football’s governing body had promised that the legacy fund from the 2022 World Cup profits would be used to help “some of the most vulnerable people in the world”.
“FIFA is taking the legacy fund concept to a new level in terms of reach and impact, addressing key priorities such as refugees, occupational health, education and football development,” FIFA president Gianni Infantino said in a statement .
Revenues from previous World Cups have been placed in legacy funds for the host country to use to develop the sport and the US$50 million corresponds to approximately 1% of commercial revenue raised around the 2022 World Cup.
FIFA said it would join the WHO in supporting its “Beat the Heat” initiative to protect the health and safety of high-risk individuals from extreme heat.
Qatar has come under intense pressure over its treatment of foreign workers working in extreme conditions, leading many to raise concerns, although the Middle Eastern country has denied that the workers were exploited.
However, Amnesty International said the fund does nothing for the families of migrant workers who died or were exploited while building Qatar’s World Cup stadiums.
“By failing to provide funding to compensate workers and their families for the serious harm suffered in Qatar, FIFA is blatantly disregarding its own human rights policies,” said Steve Cockburn, Amnesty’s Head of Employment Rights and Sport.
“(FIFA) is probably ignoring the conclusions of its own commissioned report — which has not yet been published. As long as FIFA continues to bury its head in the sand, workers and their families will continue to suffer the consequences.”
In 2022, Amnesty and other human rights groups led calls for FIFA to compensate migrant workers in Qatar for human rights abuses, setting aside US$440 million (R$2.5 billion), equaling the World Cup’s prize money. of the World.
At the World Cup in Doha, Infantino said a workers support and insurance fund created in 2018 by Qatar had provided compensation of more than US$350 million (R$2 billion) to workers, in cases mainly related to non-payment of salaries.
The partnership with UNHCR will help refugees by “improving access to basic services”, added FIFA.
“This fund will take the legacy of the World Cup beyond the stadiums and screens to millions of people displaced by war, conflict and persecution,” said Filippo Grandi, UN High Commissioner for Refugees. “It will enable vital assistance and long-term opportunities for uprooted people, helping them rebuild in safety and dignity.”
FIFA also said it would help “economically empower” women entrepreneurs by supporting the Women Exporters in the Digital Economy (WEIDE) Fund, launched by the WTO and ITC (International Trade Centre) earlier this year.
The ITC stated that the legacy fund committed US$16.6 million (R$96.7 million) to the WEIDE fund, with an initial deposit of US$5 million (R$29.1 million).
On the football front, Qatar’s Aspire Academy and FIFA’s Talent Development Centre, led by Arsene Wenger, will collaborate to identify young talent in remote areas in developing countries.
