Foreign media groups and agencies which have questions about the condition of workers in Qatar should waste no time in grabbing the open invitation thrown by the 2022 Supreme Committee managing director HE Sheikh Mohamed bin Hamad al-Thani to see for themselves the measures being undertaken by the country to address the concerns.

No Qatari official has said to date that the country is a paradise for workers and that there are no problems.   

Sheikh Mohamed, who is also the chief of Qatar’s bid-winning team, has said authorities are making every effort to ensure that workers are treated with respect.

“We are taking full advantage of the World Cup to bring about changes so that we can be an example to other nations hosting similar events,” Sheikh Mohamed said during a joint press conference with FIFA chief Sepp Blatter on Saturday.

It has become the norm to criticise countries hosting big events these days, according to Sheikh Mohamed.

Qatar, he said, was not making changes just for the sake of the World Cup.

As he rightly pointed out, the fact is Qatar existed for long before 2010 (when Qatar won the bid) and the commitment  to improve the living standards of the workers won’t go away after the World Cup in 2022.

Both governmental and non-governmental agencies are working hard to ensure that workers are treated well.

Sheikh Mohamed stressed that ultimately Qatar was accountable to itself. “We hold ourselves accountable as to what kind of country we want to live in,” he said when asked pointedly at the press conference if Qatar would demonstrate to the world the seriousness of its commitment to bring those responsible for the ill-treatment of workers to book.

Blatter admitted there were “some problems” which the authorities concerned were addressing.

He also torn to shreds the negativity surrounding the 2022 World Cup with his wholehearted endorsement of the country’s right and ability to host the planet’s greatest sporting event.

After meeting HH the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, the FIFA chief not only asserted that the tournament would be hosted in Qatar but also expressed his complete confidence that “it will be a wonderful World Cup”.

The declaration from Blatter that “Qatar is on the right track” is sure to disappoint those who criticise the country for criticism’s sake.