The 2022 Qatar WC has been deemed controversial since 2010, and with claims of slavery chances are this will not change any time soon. (Wikimedia Commons)

An investigation by The Guardian found that a number of Nepalese migrants working in Qatar on have died in the last few months, after suffering shocking abuse and ill-treatment that amounts to "modern-day slavery".

The 2022 World Cup bid has been considered controversial ever since FIFA announced that Qatar would host the World Cup back in 2010 – primarily for reasons relevant to high temperatures in the summer. However, these reports have left FIFA "very concerned" about whether it is completely viable to host the largest single-event sporting competition in the world in Qatar.

The Guardian's investigation claimed that –

1) Between 4 June and 8 August, 44 Nepalese migrant workers had died due to heart-related issues or workplace accidents.

2) Access to free drinking water has been denied to workers on certain occasions.

3) Up to 12 construction workers are forced to sleep in a single room in employee hostels.

4) Certain workers have stated that they have not been paid for months, and have had their salaries retained and/or passports confiscated to stop them from walking away from their jobs.

Furthermore, the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) claimed that Qatar's rapid construction work will cost the lives of at least 4,000 migrant workers before a ball is kicked at the 2022 World Cup. The ITUC has been inspecting the deaths of construction workers in the Middle East, and said that it expects the yearly death toll to ascend to 600 a year – unless the Qatari government makes serious reforms. 

Aidan McQuade, the director of the 174-year-old organization Anti-Slavery International was quoted as saying,

"The evidence uncovered by the Guardian is clear proof of the use of systematic forced labor in Qatar. In fact, these working conditions and the astonishing number of deaths of vulnerable workers go beyond forced labour to the slavery of old where human beings were treated as objects. There is no longer a risk that the World Cup might be built on forced labour. It is already happening."

The World Cup organizers based in Qatar, however, were insistent that the conditions for employees involved in construction of World Cup-related infrastructure are satisfactory.

"We firmly believe that all workers engaged on our projects, and those of the other infrastructure developers in Qatar, have a right to be treated in a manner that ensures at all times their wellbeing, safety, security, and dignity. This is our top priority as we begin to deliver on the promises made in our bid to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar."

"The health, safety, well-being and dignity of every worker that contributes to staging the 2022 FIFA World Cup is of the utmost importance to our committee and we are committed to ensuring that the event serves as a catalyst toward creating sustainable improvements to the lives of all workers in Qatar."

Contact Executive Producer Adi here and follow him on Twitter.