Meet Qatar's migrant workers at the place they can watch the men's World Cup

Away from Qatar's boisterous soccer stadiums and boozy fan festival sites, the World Cup is watched in much less alluring surroundings by those who've laboured to make the tournament possible. 

On every match night, migrant workers — mainly from South Asian and African nations — gather to cheer, watching the games on big screens set up at a cricket ground.

The site's name, the "Industrial Area Fan Zone," says a lot about its drab nature. Set up near a strip mall in a southern district of Doha, the area is a short walk from a sprawling migrant camp known as Labour City.

A banner near the entrance thanks the labourers for their "contributions for delivering the best FIFA World Cup ever." But this is as close as most will come to seeing the action in person.

Match tickets come at a "big price," one worker, Sambahadur Pariya told CBC News on a recent evening at the fan zone, where entry is free.

"We are small-salary people," he said.

Foreign workers make up the backbone of Qatar's economy, accounting for at least 88 per cent of the tiny Gulf state's population of three million. They've kept the World Cup running, checking visitors into their accommodations, directing foot traffic near stadiums and picking up garbage left behind.

Qatar's autocratic leadership came under fire in the lead-up to global soccer's biggest tournament, amid claims thousands of migrant workers died building tournament infrastructure in the scorching desert heat.

Qatar's commitment to labour reforms questioned

Qatari officials have pointed to labour reforms as proof they've improved working conditions for migrant labourers. But first-hand accounts from workers at the Industrial Area Fan Zone are reminders the work remains low paid and often difficult.

We "come here to work … to give our family the best life that they deserve," said Daniel Brown Koroma, 37. He moved to Doha from Sierra Leone nine months ago. 

He makes Qatar's recently established minimum wage, which is 1,000 Qatari riyals a month. That amounts to less than $13 Cdn a day.

Sometimes, Brown Koroma says, he's able to send money to support his family in West Africa. "But not always, because the salary is small."

The UN's International Labour Organization has praised Qatar for "extensive" labour reforms, including the official elimination of the "kafala" system, which left foreign workers at the mercy of their employers when trying to change jobs or even leave the country.

But human rights organizations question Qatar's commitment to see the reforms through, or to investigate labourers' deaths.

"Workers still do not have a lot of rights, they still can't unionize," said James Lynch, a co-director of the U.K.-based research and advocacy group FairSquare, in an interview over video chat.

Labourers "still face extremely difficult working conditions," he said. "And the state still primarily supports employers who want to abuse their workers, despite some reforms that are designed to tackle that."

'This is a historic time in Qatar'

Several workers said they couldn't afford tickets to World Cup games. A small number of lower-cost tickets were made available to local residents like them.

"I applied two times … but they rejected my application," said Saeed Hamad. Originally from Pakistan, Hamad said he's spent 20 years in Qatar. He cheers for France's national soccer team and works for a company that builds swimming pools.

"This is a historic time in Qatar," he said, "so I want to see [the action] every day."

At an event that's attracted attention for unusually large numbers of empty seats in stadiums, the workers are limited in places to gather and watch games. Hotel bars show soccer on big screens, but patrons are expected to buy beer, or other drinks, that cost more than a day's pay for those making minimum wage.

And bigger outdoor watch parties are intended for paying visitors. The fan festival sites generally require a Hayya card for entry — a pass that comes with a match ticket or tournament accreditation.

"We have never gotten a chance to participate [and watch] the game, but ... if we get one chance, we'll be glad," another man said.

Some workers preferred not to share their names, so as not to be seen as speaking out against tournament organizers or their employers.

One man from Senegal said several employers never paid him at all, repeating a familiar grievance from Qatar's migrant workers.

"You work hard, you don't get well paid," he said. "This isn't easy, at all."