When Mohammad Arshad He fell and died while building the first new stadium For the 2034 World Cup in Saudi Arabia, one of the main stadium contractors, Belgian construction multinational Besix, has promised to take immediate steps to ensure that all end-of-service and insurance payments are “handled in a timely and respectful manner”.
Almost a year later, Arshad’s family says they still haven’t received it.
Arshad’s death is the first death of a migrant worker linked to the 2034 World Cup. FIFA The naming of the Gulf kingdom as the host of the tournament has drawn heavy criticism.
human being Rights groups have warned There may be thousands of unexplained deaths of migrant workers related to the World Cup and other large-scale construction projects in Saudi Arabia. In its World Cup bid, Saudi Arabia They promised to build 11 new stadiums And renew all four for the 2034 tournament.
Arshad died on March 12, 2025 while working on an elevated platform at the Aramco Stadium in the eastern city of Al Khobar. The platform suddenly tipped and Arshad fell to the ground without safety. He died in hospital, leaving his wife and three young sons in Pakistan.
According to Saudi law, Arshad’s family is entitled to the salary Compensation For his death, the probable value was £63,250. They are also entitled to his back pay and end-of-service benefits.
His family, who live in Mansehra district, a two-hour drive north of Islamabad, said the only money they received was matched by Besix, from voluntary donations by Arshad’s colleagues and stakeholders working on the project.
In response to a request for comment, Besix told the Guardian that the end-of-service benefits have been transferred to the Overseas Pakistanis Foundation and will be paid immediately after the family submits the required documents. The company said it is also in touch with the family and helping them complete the necessary documents for the insurance payout – death compensation.
Sardar Manzoor, a local politician and friend of Arshad, said the family should not have to wait long for compensation. “Arshad is like my brother, so I don’t want his children to suffer.” Many people from this area go to the Gulf for work, he said. “Two or three from each family. Just their payments to keep the economy afloat.”
Shows how the long delay of the family It is difficult for families of migrant workers who died in Saudi Arabia Negotiating the bureaucratic process to get compensation or even knowing what they are entitled to.
“This horrific case is tragically symbolic of what is happening in the families of many migrant workers Saudi Arabia go through It shows the enormous hurdles they face in trying to get legally owed compensation in workplace accident cases,” said James Lynch, director of human rights group Fairsquare.
There are human rights groups previously highlighted The “lengthy and burdensome” process families face to obtain compensation, and many cases where families receive little or no compensation, have been recorded.
Lynch publicly called on FIFA to pay compensation to the families of workers killed in projects linked to the tournament: “FIFA awarded the World Cup to Saudi Arabia after a negligent human rights assessment process. This means they cannot escape their responsibility for a massive construction programme.”
