Klaveness spent Tuesday in the capital Doha at internal working meetings with the Uefa group in addition to having several rounds of questions. The World Cup Committee, Fifa, the Qatari Ministry of Labor and Qatar’s National Human Rights Committee have participated.
– It was worth coming, even if it was only one day, Klaveness says on the phone to NTB.
On Sunday, she was prevented from boarding a plane to Qatar for the meetings on Monday and Tuesday due to problems with presenting documentation on coronation tests.
Trade unions in Qatar are banned. Therefore, Klaveness and co. continues the discussion on how to ensure legal aid for workers. Disputation mechanisms have been established to resolve certain disputes, as well as a fund to pay unpaid wages, but many do not receive the help they are entitled to, according to Amnesty.
Klaveness promises to leek
Klaveness emphasizes that the World Cup committee has introduced many good measures, but:
– We have not reached our goal as long as it is not a place where migrant workers can understand their rights, can stay safe and exchange skills. An environment and a place where the press can also visit after the World Cup. There were many of the questions we asked: Where is the case? What prevents you from getting further in it?
A center for migrant workers was among the requirements the so-called Qatar committee has proposed that the Norwegian Football Association (NFF) should work with.
– They should come back to us in a few weeks, says Klaveness.
Klaveness has agreed with Uefa to make a joint statement if the World Cup committee and Fifa do not return to those who promised. It is difficult for the Uefa delegation to know exactly how concrete it will be before the World Cup starts in November.
– You can never know. First you have to come up with this. I experience that the conversations are real. The World Cup committee has the power to act. The challenge is that it does not apply to the whole country. We must get the authorities involved, says the NFF president.
Great cultural differences
In addition, the major topics were rights for LGBTQ + people and compensation where workers have been injured or killed.
There are great cultural differences, and the Norwegian football president notices progress in the way the topics are addressed.
– I think it has become a good culture to take up everything possible, even if it costs a little. That’s my impression. But there are areas we are far apart from, she says.
Director Jakob Jensen of the Danish Football Association (DBU) had the following conclusion after the meetings:
– It is now that it must happen. High-level dialogue does not help much anymore. What gives me some hope is that every time I am here, my feeling is that it goes faster, he told the Danish press.