It’s been confirmed that on 12 March a worker died on the Besix-Al Bawani joint-venture project to build the Aramco Stadium in Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia, one of the venues set to host the 2034 World Cup.
Citing sources with knowledge of the incident,The Guardian on Friday reported that the victim, Pakistani national Muhammad Arshad, died from a fall from height.
A foreman on the project, Arshad was in his mid-30s, supporting three young children at home, The Guardian reported.
The death comes three months after Saudi Arabia was named host of the 2034 tournament on 11 December.
Human rights groups previously warned of fatalities on 2030 and 2034 World Cup projects.
The Besix-Al Bawani joint venture broke ground on the project at the end of August last year.
Besix confirmed the incident Tuesday in a statement sent to GCR.
It said: “BESIX Group acknowledges the tragic incident that occurred at the Aramco Stadium construction site on 12 March, where a worker sadly lost their life.
“BESIX Group has been operating on this site for several months in close partnership with our joint venture partner, Al Bawani, following detailed and validated safety procedures that have consistently proven effective.
“The incident in question is currently under thorough investigation by the authorities, and we are fully cooperating to determine the exact circumstances. In the interest of the investigation, we will not provide further comments at this stage.”
‘Many will die’
In November 2024, human rights organisation Amnesty International called for Fifa to halt Saudi Arabia’s World Cup bid.
“Saudi Arabia will require a vast number of migrant workers to deliver its World Cup ambitions, yet there are no commitments to reform the country’s exploitative ‘Kafala’ sponsorship system, establish a minimum wage for non-citizens, permit them to join trade unions or introduce new measures to prevent worker deaths,” said Steve Cockburn, the organisation’s head of labour rights and sport.
He added: “There will be a real and predictable human cost to awarding the 2034 World Cup to Saudi Arabia without obtaining credible guarantees of reform. Fans will face discrimination, residents will be forcibly evicted, migrant workers will face exploitation and many will die.”
The stadium has been designed by US architect Populous and is named after the Saudi Arabian state-owned oil company. It will accommodate 47,000 fans on a 800,000-sq-m site.
It’s due to be completed in 2026 and will also host matches for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup.
Besix’s statement added: “BESIX Group has a long tradition of transparency and of operational and human excellence. In this area, we collaborate actively and transparently with national and international institutions and organisations to guarantee and promote the rights of migrant workers, as it is clearly documented in the international framework agreement on fair labour standards signed with the global union federation BWI and with our European Works Council. This is also thoroughly detailed on this page: Fair Labour Practices and Migrant Workers.”
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