At What Price For The Beautiful Game?

New C&D Consultant Brent Gill gives his thoughts on the work being carried out to bring the World Cup to Brazil and beyond.

At What Price For The Beautiful Game?

Brazil 2014, Qatar 2022, ? 2026.

Being a Sheffield lad the home of the world’s oldest football club (Hallam FC). I was alarmed to read about the appalling Accident figures while building the infrastructure and stadiums for the next two World Cups. I’m not going to throw figures and statistics about willy nilly, but there is cause for concern from any decent specimen of mankind.

These people are having to work long hours under enormous pressure even though official sources deny there is any pressure applied. While the reality is quite the reverse. Even more so at the moment in Brazil many deadlines have been missed and the chances of keeping the tournament are getting slimmer. My point is Great Britain is one of the safest countries to work in. I’m not saying by any means we are perfect, but we have a safety culture in the main.

We have all played our parts, from our fore fathers to you. The mistakes that have happened in the past have helped to mould our future and will continue to do so. Transparency and accountability form a good one-two when combined “take control and show the reasoning behind taking control” simple in it?

Back to the unfortunate souls currently engaged on various projects in Brazil, the accidents, the injuries, and the non payment of wages no doubt all helped along with the national protest against the World Cup. These are lessons learnt long ago in Great Britain (sadly it still happens here). What legacy are FIFA and the rest of the World leaving to the home of the” beautifully played game”? Death, widows, maiming and disability.

Now for a couple of shocking facts for the Qatar 2022 World Cup. Up to date 28/01/14, there have been 188 deaths of immigrant Nepalese contractors due to cardiac arrest or cardiac related disease! Why has got to be the question along with how can so many within a wide age group succumb to a related disease. Could it be working long hours in 40 degree heat? Is it their diet? Or lifestyle? The simple answer is NO to all the above. After some surfing of many web sites the answer is! Cardiac arrest or cardiac diseases are not notifiable to the authorities’ simple in it. The current estimate for accidents/injuries for the duration of the construction phase is 4,000! What a legacy to leave behind. While we enjoy our World Cup will they?

We are all in it together to try and make it a safer world.

Thank the lord I work in Great Britain.

Remember there is no such thing as a stupid question, only stupid people who don’t ask questions.

If you’re not sure ASK! Don’t be Stupid.