Qatar to spend up to $10bn just to build World Cup stadiums

Qatar will spend between $8 billion and $10 billion for the construction of the eight World Cup stadiums alone, according to Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy (SC) secretary general Hassan Al Thawadi.

In addition, Qatar will also spend $200 billion on wider infrastructure such as new roads and a Doha Metro, which will be required to host the World Cup, he said at the Chatham House Policy Institute in London on Thursday, in quotes published by the Associated Press.

Al Thawadi also stressed that Qatar is doing everything possible for the welfare of workers building the stadiums and other 2022 projects.

"Monitoring enforcement mechanisms are being strengthened on a continuous basis, labour inspector numbers are being increased, site inspections are being increased, and scrutiny of recruitment agencies has been increased," Al Thawadi said.

"However change will not happen overnight and there are many issues on this matter that require further action, and more can be done."

FIFA initially had concerns about claims made by human rights groups that laborers in Qatar worked in unsafe and extreme conditions.

But Qatar has reiterated that from the 9,000,000-plus man hours completed at Khalifa International Stadium, there have been no deaths or serious injuries.

Last year, Al Thawadi also said that a total of 14 million man hours had been worked on World Cup projects without a single fatality. [ArabianBusiness.com, Gulf News]