FIVE years to the day after Fifa voted for the 2022 World Cup to be hosted in Qatar, Amnesty International slammed the Gulf state yesterday for the continued appalling work conditions.

Qatar has refused to drop the kafala system — which sees workers forced to pay recruitment fees, having their passports confiscated, non-payment of wages as well as health and safety breaches — while an estimated 1.7 million workers are still forced to build the stadiums in which the World Cup will be played.

The conditions were compared last month to “Victorian London” by the GMB union and Amnesty International’s Gulf migrant rights researcher Mustafa Qadri

Oadri says the attempted reforms have failed to “tackle the central issues that leave so many workers at the mercy of employers.”

He said: “Too little has been done to address rampant migrant labour abuse. Qatar’s persistent labour reform delays are a recipe for human rights disaster.

“Unless action is taken — and soon — then every football fan who visits Qatar in 2022 should ask themselves how they can be sure they are not benefiting from the blood, sweat and tears of migrant workers.

“Fifa has played its part in this sorry performance. It knew there were labour rights issues in Qatar. It must work closely with the Qatari authorities and business partners to ensure the World Cup is not built on exploitation.”

Qadri’s comments have been echoed by construction union Ucatt, with acting general secretary Brian Rye saying: “Ucatt has been campaigning for years to end the kafala system whereby construction workers are effectively prisoners of their employers because they can’t change employer nor leave the country.

“It’s an utter disgrace that the World Cup was awarded to a nation that has so little regard for the rights of human beings. Ucatt will continue to fight for the rights of our fellow construction workers in Qatar.”

Qadri insists that the kafala system must be abolished and not just “tinkered” with, pointing out: “It is all too easy for an unscrupulous employer to get away with the late payment of salaries, housing workers in squalid and cramped accommodation, or threatening workers who complain about their conditions.

“Migrant workers continue to face impediments and delays in accessing the justice system and are not allowed to form or join unions.”

He added: “Fifa has bent over backwards to make a Qatar World Cup work, even taking the unprecedented step of moving the tournament from summer to winter.”