Amnesty International continues to see serious shortcomings in World Cup host country Qatar.

Despite government reforms, migrant workers in 2021 “continued to be subject to exploitation” and had “difficulties in freely changing jobs,” according to the human rights organization’s 2021/22 annual report.

Ahead of the World Cup finals this year (November 21-December 18), "the authorities further restricted the right to freedom of expression."

Women as well as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people (LGBTI+) were also "continued to be discriminated against both by law and in everyday life".

The emirate has been under criticism for years.

Reports of thousands of dead workers continue to cause loud criticism - especially from Europe.

The government of the emirate points to a number of reforms to improve the human rights situation and the conditions for foreign workers.

So Qatar dismantled the kafala system.

This system, which is also common in other countries in the region, binds foreign workers tightly to a local guarantor such as an employer.

Violators of the new laws would be rigorously prosecuted.

"exploitative practices"

"Despite assurances to the contrary, the government failed to introduce and implement reforms, which has allowed exploitative practices and the worst elements of the sponsorship system (kafala) to persist," Amnesty writes over the past few months.

The authorities also failed to "properly investigate the deaths of thousands of migrant workers who died suddenly and unexpectedly in recent years despite passing mandatory medical tests prior to entering Qatar."

This "omission" meant that Qatar "failed to protect a key element of the right to life, as it could not be determined whether the men's deaths were related to their working conditions".

In addition, the bereaved would be denied the opportunity to receive compensation from employers or the Qatari authorities.

Klingbeil's expectations of the DFB

SPD boss Lars Klingbeil has clear expectations of the German Football Association (DFB) with regard to the controversial tournament.

"The World Cup is happening.

I also think it must take place with German participation.

But it must not take place in a vacuum," he told the sports information service on Monday evening in Berlin: "We also have to address the political, the social and all the accompanying circumstances there.

And this is what I expect from the DFB.”

On the fringes of the Sepp Herberger Awards ceremony in the capital, the politician emphasized that he was "grateful" that the DFB was "increasingly addressing" the human rights situation in Qatar.

The FAZ had told Klingbeil in February that he considered the decision to award the tournament to the emirate to be fundamentally wrong.

At the time, the head of the SPD said to the German Football Association: “The DFB is a political player.

He needs an attitude and can't just go to Qatar to play football there."

Most recently, the human rights organizations Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International gave lectures to the national team.

“It was a very important and serious event.

I think it's important to deal with this topic," said the new DFB President Bernd Neuendorf.

According to the 60-year-old, football during the World Cup (November 21 to December 18) could help improve the situation on the ground.

So it is important "to strengthen those who we believe stand for an opening and for a more liberal course," said Neuendorf: "Supporting these people in their concerns is an important step.

You need that encouragement.

That's what football can do in a tournament like this."

Bierhoff wants to "act hand in hand" with politics

Meanwhile, DFB director Oliver Bierhoff is relying on cooperation with German politicians in the critical debate on Qatar.

"Perhaps German football and German politics can also act hand in hand on this important issue by using the attention of a soccer World Cup to further advance processes in Qatar," Bierhoff told the Frankfurter Rundschau.

Economics Minister Robert Habeck recently traveled to Qatar to negotiate an energy partnership.

During his visits to the controversial host country of the soccer World Cup this year (November 21 to December 18), he has so far “only seen beautiful stadiums, training grounds and hotels.

I'm not optimistic that we'll get any deeper insights," said Bierhoff, who has so far "mainly" spoken to those responsible for the world association FIFA and the organizers in Qatar.

He has therefore not yet been able to get an overview like before the World Cup tournaments in 2010 and 2014.

In South Africa or Brazil, for example, it was possible to "visit townships and favelas," said Bierhoff.

With regard to human rights violations in Qatar, he said, "non-governmental organizations have described what we will probably never see."

Despite everything, Bierhoff does not want to lose sight of his sporting goals.

"We have to be careful not to close our eyes to the important and necessary political debates, but at the same time to arouse an inner euphoria that comes from within the team," said Bierhoff before the group draw on Friday in the Qatari capital Doha.