Qatar confirm migrant worker's death at World Cup team base, activists protests in FIFA boss's hometown

A Filipino migrant worker named 'Alex' has died in Qatar in an incident at The Sealine Beach Resort, which was used by the Saudi Arabia national football team at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, according to the government.

He was reportedly fixing lights in a hotel car-park, without a safety harness, and fell to his death.

No date was provided for the death, only that it happened during the group stage phase of the tournament which started on 20th November and ended on 2nd December.

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Football's world governing body - FIFA - confirmed the incident and a Qatari government official said, "If the investigation concludes that safety protocols were not followed, the company will be subject to legal action and severe financial penalties.

"Compensation is paid through the Workers' Support and Insurance Fund when a worker has been injured or passed away due to a work-related incident, or when an employer is unable to pay salaries."

Meanwhile, a campaign group mounted a protest in the hometown of FIFA president Gianni Infantino calling for immediate compensation for migrant workers who died or were exploited while building infrastructure for the 2022 World Cup.

Global citizen activism group Avaaz drove billboards through Brig in southern Switzerland, after 725 thousand people had signed an Avaaz petition calling on Infantino to establish a compensation fund of around 440 million dollars.

Avaaz spokesperson Andy Legon said of Infantino: "His family actually moved here as migrant workers, so we're hoping this is a timely reminder of the fact that he needs to compensate the many migrant worker victims of this World Cup."

Although Qatar has never provided exact figures for the number of deaths of foreign labourers, it has refuted claims by human rights groups that thousands have died.