Migrant Workers in Qatar Honored with Special Soccer Cards
A new set of soccer cards have been released honoring migrant workers who died while building infrastructure for Qatar's 2022 FIFA World Cup. The special edition cards feature portraits along with names and ages as well as brief descriptions about how each worker passed away.
Dec. 25, 2022 7:03PM
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A portrait photo of one of the migrant worker's featured on a card next to his name and age
As the 2022 FIFA World Cup approaches, a new set of soccer cards has been released to honor the lives of migrant workers who died building roads, hotels, and the subway in Qatar. These cards are not like typical soccer cards that feature player ratings; instead, they tell stories about each worker’s life and their untimely death. The cards were created by artist Amina Elbendary and designer Menna El Shishiny. The two women wanted to create something special to commemorate the lives of these workers who often go unrecognized for their hard work and dedication. Each card features a portrait of one of the workers along with their name, age, nationality, and a brief description about how they died. Elbendary explained her motivation behind creating these cards: “We wanted to give people an opportunity to remember those who lost their lives while building infrastructure for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar… It is important that we recognize them as human beings rather than just statistics or numbers." The project has received support from many organizations including Amnesty International which tweeted out images of some of the cards on June 1st. The organization wrote “These aren’t your typical soccer cards with player ratings – these cards tell stories about migrant workers who died building roads, hotels & more in Qatar ahead of #FIFAWorldCup 2022” Qatar is home to over 2 million migrant workers who come from countries such as India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Many are employed in construction jobs that can be dangerous due to long hours and harsh working conditions. In 2019 alone there were at least 690 reported deaths among migrant workers according to data collected by Human Rights Watch (HRW). HRW also found that most families never receive any compensation or explanation regarding why their loved ones passed away while working abroad. Elbendary hopes her project will help bring attention to this issue: “I want people around the world—especially those living in countries where labor exploitation is common—to know that no matter what happens they are not forgotten."