ITUC general secretary Sharan Burrow hailed the creation of Fifa’s panel to monitor construction at World Cup stadiums in Qatar as an “important step forward” yesterday.

Fifa president Gianni Infantino is currently on a visit of Qatar, overviewing the work to prepare the blood-soaked Gulf state for the 2022 World Cup.

While Fifa-appointed human rights expert John Ruggie, from Harvard University, advised last week that tournaments should be moved from countries where abuses persisted, Burrow highlighted that this is a step in the right direction.