Liverpool dump 5-star hotel over human rights concern
Liverpool have rejected a luxury hotel allocated for them in Doha, Qatar, after discovering a series of human rights issues surrounding the five-star spot.
The Reds are set to head to the Middle East in December in order to compete in the Club World Cup, which they qualified for after becoming European champions by winning the Champions League in June.
Liverpool were offered the Marsa Malaz Kempinski, a palatial five-star hotel on the artificial island of Pearl-Qatar, but have turned down the proposition due to its murky past.
The news of Jurgen Klopp’s side snubbing the plush venue was revealed by the Athletic, who outline how the Reds decided against the idea after some due diligence.
In October 2018, an investigation by the Guardian revealed that migrant workers employed by the Marsa Malaz Kempinski hotel were earning salaries below that of the minimum wage and were operating in breach of labour laws.
Security guards were working 12-hour shifts in 45C temperatures and earning little more than £8 a day.
The Athletic add that Liverpool have now ‘informed FIFA and the Qatari authorities of their decision and have relocated to a hotel on the mainland that did not generate any such worries.’
It is also reported that FIFA and the Qatari authorities are said to have been responsive to all of Liverpool’s requests so far.
A large majority of the tourism and leisure sector falls in Qatar outside of the control of the authorities, with many hotels being run by global corporations. This includes the Kempinski.
The country is still in the midst of preparing to host the 2022 World Cup, while accusations are still frequently pointed in its direction over the use of slave labour in producing the stadiums for the tournament.
Liverpool are set to play their first Club World Cup fixture on December 18 at the Education City Stadium, entering at the semi-final stage.
Klopp’s side will soon learn their opponents once the play-off and quarter-final stages have concluded.