ITUC general secretary Sharan Burrow yesterday urged Fifa not to ignore the new report into its human rights obligations and strip Qatar of the 2022 World Cup.

Havard lecturer John Ruggie was tasked by football’s world governing body making a recommendation on their human rights obligations and came to the conclusion that tournaments should be removed from countries if hosts are failing to eradicate abuses.

Burrows said: “Fifa commissioned this report and now it needs to put the recommendations in place.

“Professor Ruggie has made it clear that the whole package of rights must be respected, without exception, and in every area of Fifa’s operations including but not limited to huge events such as the men’s World Cup.”

The report states that “Internationally recognised human rights include rights to life and physical security, non-discrimination, rights to freedom of thought, expression and religion, freedom of assembly and of movement, rights to education and work, to family life and privacy, to food and water, freedoms from torture, slavery or forced labour, as well as rights to fair and decent working conditions, including freedom of association and the right to bargain collectively.”

And “where Fifa is unable to reduce severe human rights impacts by using its leverage, it should consider suspending or terminating the relationship.”

“This report makes clear that Fifa must act decisively,” Burrow added. “Equally Qatar, which fails massively to meet the standards set out in the report, must ahead of the UN human rights and business forum which it is hosting next week, make a real commitment to comprehensive reform.

“The system of modern slavery for migrant workers, the absolute denial of freedom of association and collective bargaining rights, the poverty wages and the deep discrimination encountered by those who are delivering the huge 2022 infrastructure programme is completely out of step with the requirements that Professor Ruggie has highlighted.

“This report represents a major challenge for Fifa and it also gives an opportunity for Qatar to comprehensively reform its medieval labour laws and thus retain the hosting rights to the 2022 World Cup.”

Ruggie added: “Fifa is not solely responsible for solving these problems where the actions of others are the primary cause.

“But it must use its influence to address these human rights risks as determinedly as it does to pursue its commercial interests.”