5 problems Qatar will face in 2022 World Cup preparation

Climate

Qatar plans to tackle the stifling heat with special cooling systems inside every stadium, but they are currently completed untested on the scale required for a World Cup. Extreme temperatures which can rise to 50°C will be a factor for fans as well as players. The thought of spending a month inside air-conditioned hotels, shopping malls and stadiums is unlikely to have universal appeal.

Construction

Qatar have 12 years to prepare but Fifa are still taking a huge risk in terms of the scale of the new construction that is necessary. Of the 12 stadiums, nine do not exist and three need major renovation. Lusail, the city where the World Cup final will be staged, is still being built. Billions must also be spent on the road, train and metro infrastructure.

Hotels and size

Qatar currently lacks the required number of hotels rooms and there is also concern at how such a relatively small country will absorb around 400,000 World Cup fans. Amazingly, 10 of the 12 stadiums will be located within a radius of just 30 kilometres in and around the capital city of Doha.

Fan experience

Qatar has comparatively liberal laws compared to some of its neighbouring states, but a first World Cup in an Arab country will still be a very new experience for fans. The few bars and nightclubs in Qatar operate only in expensive hotels and clubs. Alcohol will be restricted to designated areas, with Qatar's Sharia making it illegal to show alcohol or be drunk in public.

Legacy

There is significant doubt over whether a country with a population of 1.6 million will have any future use for a World Cup infrastructure that will cost an estimated $4 billion to put in place. Qatar plan to erect some modular stadiums that can be transported after the World Cup to poorer countries, but would it not be better to build those facilities in countries that most need them in the first place?

Death toll of workers arises to 4000 due to non safety rules.

A report on Thursday has scrutinised the organisers for failing to provide safe working conditions for those employed in the construction of venues. Qatar won the bid in 2010 in what was a contentious vote, despite having just one world-class stadium. The country has been building 10 more new stadia and expanding two more, in the run-up to the premiere football event in the world.

With the rapid expansion, though, comes a high human cost: at least 700 migrant workers from India have died in Qatar between 2010 and 2012, and 1,460 have complained of poor working conditions in the first five months of 2013 alone. Over 1 million workers are already in Qatar and at least 1 million more are projected to be hired in the near future if the country is to finish its infrastructure in time for the 2022 event. Given the figures, Qatar stands to lose 4,000 migrant workers by 2022 if adjustments to existing labor conditions are not made.

A separate investigation conducted by the International Trade Union Confederation has revealed the appalling state of migrant workers in Qatar, including overcrowded and unsanitary quarters, endemic sickness and hunger, and the dangers of working in the infamous Qatari summer, when temperatures reach up to 50 degrees Celsius. The ITUC has also confirmed that an average of one worker dies per day. The Guardian agrees with these findings, citing the cases of 44 Nepalese workers who all died in a two-month span, half of them from workplace accidents or heart failure.

The Qatar organising committee is not taking the reports sitting down.

“We are appalled by the findings presented in the report,” a spokesman said. “We are committed to ensuring that the event serves as a catalyst toward creating sustainable improvements to the lives of all workers in Qatar.”

Experts have also warned that continued poor conditions could serve as a flashpoint in Qatar’s already-contentious labor environment, where almost half of the workforce come from South Asia.

“The Qataris have made them invisible in their economy but they have to make them visible. In the 21st century, labour should be treated equally to capital,” an international migration scholar said.

As a result of the high temperatures during the summer, there have been talks about moving the tournament to the winter, when the climate is more tolerable. Qatar is already planning to put up green air conditioning systems in the stadia themselves, but is not able to assure tourists and spectators that the climate will be hoospitable outside the match venues.