MEDIA WINNER: TalkTV's Piers Morgan
Piers Morgan got a top Qatari official to admit that there are 400-500 worker deaths related to the preparation of the World Cup.
During an interview with Hassan al-Thawadi, the secretary-general of Qatar’s Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy, Morgan pointed to a 2021 report from The Guardian, whichhighlighted 6,500 migrant deaths in Qatar since the country was chosen to host the World Cup.
Morgan made sure to clarify that not all of the reported deaths were related to the World Cup, as the number includes all migrant deaths in 2021, and labeled the figure “deeply misleading."
He then used the statistic to ask exactly how many deaths could be traced back to Qatar's preparation for the World Cup, subsequently getting al-Thawadi to say that 400 to 500 deaths were related to the massive sporting event -- not just the 40 that have been officially recognized.
Morgan noted 400 is likely a “price too big to pay” for many people when it comes to a sporting event, to which the World Cup chief admitted, “one death is a death too many."
“I think overall the need for labor reform in itself dictates that, yes, improvements had to happen," Al-Thawadi conceded.
Morgan not only landed a solid interview with a World Cup official, but also managed to press him on seriously hot topics.
The reporter successfully got al-Thawadi to admit to dismal working conditions and human rights practices amid a particularly controversial year for the games. |