by John Millington

Professional footballer Abdeslam Ouaddou urged Fifa yesterday to take the 2022 World Cup away from Qatar unless it ends the super-exploitation of workers.

Mr Quaddou, who spent two seasons at former Premier League club Fulham and then  moved to Qatar in 2011 to play for Lekhwiya,  said he suffered exploitation under “kafala” — a system where employers sponsor migrant workers and control their visa status.

In 2013 he was told he was no longer needed at the Qatar club and went five months with being paid. 

Speaking at the time he said: “When you work in Qatar you belong to someone. You are not free. You are a slave.”

Speaking to the world’s media in Berlin at the International Trade Union Confederation World Congress yesterday he said: “The Qatar government believe they are above the law. It is Fifa who has the power to do something.”

He said his situation as a “privileged footballer” was bad but nothing compared to the fate of domestic migrant workers.

He added: “These are appalling conditions they have to work in, living with rats in filthy sanitary conditions, 40 to a room. We need the support of sporting people, trade unions and even governments to end kafala.”

Labour analysts say that between now and the 2022 World Cup up to 4,000 workers could die from preventable work-related diseases and accidents.

ITUC general secretary Sharon Burrow sent a stern message to Fifa head Sepp Blatter ahead of the football body’s congress in two weeks time.

“He has to find some backbone,” she said.

“We want delegates to tell Sepp Blatter and the Fifa leadership: There can be no World Cup without workers rights’.”