Blankspot creates football cards to represent migrant workers in Qatar World Cup scandal
Investigative journalism platform Blankspot is making headlines through its hard-hitting Cards of Qatar campaign, which seeks to lift the lid on the reality of life – and death – behind the statistics on migrant workers for the Fifa World Cup 2022 in Qatar.
The 33 red cards represent 33 migrant workers who have died in Qatar
Since the country was awarded the tournament, Blankspot has been documenting the deaths of migrant construction workers, cataloging 33 individuals from Nepal, Bangladesh and India. Each worker has now been remembered in a new series of football cards that reveal the true cost of the beautiful game.
Martin Schibbye, chief editor and co-founder of Blankspot, said: “These workers are not just statistics. Their stories need to be heard. At first glance, everything from the portraits, the glossy surface and the packaging creates the impression of authentic football cards. But at a closer look, the portraits and stories belong to migrant workers in Qatar, each with an unfiltered story.”
Supported by subsequent articles, interviews and reports in the four months to kick-off, the campaign aims to gather as many stories as possible of the unsung workers who keep hotels, stadiums and transport systems operational for the thousands of fans soon to descend on the Middle East.
The campaign has been developed by creative partner Forsman and Bodenfors, with a pledge to publish an additional card every day until the World Cup begins.