FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter prepares to address the crowd during the groundbreaking ceremony for a Football Artificial Turf under the FIFA Goal Project III in the country Sunday, Nov. 30, 2014 at Carmona township, Cavite province south of Manila, Philippines. The full size pitch will serve as the training facility and possible football stadium to boost football development in the Philippines. Blatter is here for the AFC (Asian Football Confederation) Player of the Year awards ceremony as well as the AFC's 60th anniversary. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez) (The Associated Press)
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka – FIFA president Sepp Blatter says the welfare of migrant workers involved in building facilities for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar is the responsibility of the companies who hired them, not FIFA.
Speaking Tuesday during his visit to Sri Lanka, Blatter said the workers are employed by companies from Germany, France and other European countries and "they are responsible for their workers and not FIFA."
Blatter also said the workers are now having "better conditions" thanks to the World Cup.
Qatar has come under increasing scrutiny over its labor practices since FIFA awarded it the right to host the tournament. The wealthy OPEC nation relies heavily on migrant workers drawn mainly from South Asia to build its roads, skyscrapers and stadiums.
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