A security guard died after falling in a World Cup final – why are there no other answers?

His name was John Ngao Kebo.

He was a 24-year-old from Kenya who worked as a security guard at Lusail Stadium, the venue for the 2022 World Cup final.

He fell from a great height in the stadium – some reports say it was as high as the eighth floor – afterwards Argentina may overcome Holland On penalties in the quarter-finals on Friday 9 December.

He was treated for head, face and pelvic injuries at Hamad Medical Hospital in Doha and spent three days in intensive care before his death on Tuesday 13 December.

His family was then informed, after receiving questions from the athlete and other media later on Tuesday, QatarThe Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy issued a statement confirming Kibo’s death.

She added, “The organizers of the Qatari championship are investigating the circumstances that led to the fall quickly and will provide more information pending the outcome of the investigation.”

On Saturday, the Supreme Committee’s initial statement after it emerged that he had been taken to hospital came in a similar tone. “The host country is investigating the circumstances expeditiously,” she added.

After more than a week with Argentina and France In preparation for the final in the same stadium, there are still more questions than answers about how a second migrant worker died during this tournament.

Kibo’s death came a week after a man – a Filipino known as Alex believed to be in his forties – appeared to He died in the training resort used by the Saudi national team during the group stage.

When asked about his death, the CEO of the Qatar World Cup, Nasser Al-Khater, told reporters Death is a natural part of life. As well as saying that journalists should not “get involved” in the matter.

“We’re in the middle world Cup And we are getting success world Cup Is this something you want to talk about now? He said on December 8th.

Nasser Al-Khater (Photo: Karim Jaafar/AFP via Getty Images)

There may be other workers who have died over the past month, on World Cup sites or in the wider city, and we may never know who they were or how they died.

Human Rights Watch said the exact number of World Cup-related deaths of migrant workers will never be known because “the Qatari authorities have failed to investigate the causes of the deaths of thousands of migrant workers, many of which are attributed to ‘natural causes.'”

Others died during the tournament as well. Three journalists – Khaled Al-Musallam and Roger Pearce W Grant Wall – He passed away during the championship and there are books of condolence in the fields of media for colleagues condolence. Also dead in Qatar was Kevin Davies, a 62-year-old Wales fan.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino might think that “the fans just want to spend 90 minutes without having to think about anything else, forget their problems and enjoy football” but not everyone is so lucky.

A photo has emerged of a young man who moved to Doha in November 2021 to provide support for his family in Kenya.

“He used to say to me, ‘Mom, you helped me when I was unemployed, I want to help you as much as I can, and I know you’re praying for me,'” Kibo’s mother, Grace Nyampura, told CNN.

“We are very sad,” Kibo’s sister, Ann Wanjiru, told The Standard in Kenya earlier this week. We want answers about the circumstances of his death. We don’t know where to start. It is very painful, they must help us.

We heard he worked long hours. Clarity of how he fell does not appear… We want justice.”

The use of the word “they” appears to refer to the Supreme Committee, the employers of the Al-Saria Security Services Company in Kibo, and the Kenyan Embassy in Doha, who are aware of the incident and are assisting the authorities.

The Supreme Committee and the Saraya Security Services Company did not respond when asked about it the athlete For an update on the “investigation” into the circumstances that led to the fall of Kibo.

The Supreme Committee’s statement on Saturday said Kibo “will continue to receive his full salary while receiving medical care” and added on Tuesday: “We will also ensure that his family receives all dues and amounts owed.”

“For us as a family, we definitely want some answers,” Kibo’s uncle, Samuel Ngau, told Reuters. “It was very unfortunate and devastating for us as a family.”

Lusail Stadium is a beautiful and delicate-looking 89,000-seat arena that is particularly stunning when lit up at night in the style of the traditional Arabian lantern, the fanar.

It is located in a new suburb north of Doha, against an industrial backdrop with a street of restaurants and space for families to stroll at dusk. However, outside of match day, it could hardly be described as energetic.

As it prepares to host the World Cup final this week, security guards have been working outside the stadium perimeter.

One of the workers said he knew Kibo but could not talk about him. Another the next day said the same thing. A third said he knew him too but was asked not to speak.

Some work for the same company as Kibo. Others spoke of isolated incidents in Lusail that left workers in need of medical treatment. They don’t know more about what happened to Kibue, or when his funeral could take place. They were all understandably nervous about speaking.

They also still have work to do on Sunday at a stadium where a colleague has died in mysterious circumstances so far.

Have the safety guidelines been reviewed? Have new or updated guidelines for workers been issued? Was any support provided to them?

The Supreme Committee and Al-Saraya Security Services Company did not respond to questions from the athlete.

The Industrial Fan Zone was very crowded on Wednesday, December 14, when it faced France Morocco, West, sunset In the second semi-final. This is a World Cup viewing area and is close to where many of the workers live in dormitories holding between four and 12 men at a time.

This part of Doha is called the Asian City. It is not easily connected by the metro that took fans to and from the stadiums and city center during this World Cup, but it is where many workers consumed the matches. They do not have the “Hayya Card” pass required to access other fan areas.

The men enjoyed watching Morocco’s progress and felt insolent to intrude.

On the first Saturday of the tournament, November 26, in the industrial fan zone, However, the athlete It was found that Kenyan workers are the most willing to share their experiences. Many of them arrived more recently than their Bengali or Nepali counterparts and seemed more willing to challenge working conditions and payments.

Industrial fans area in Qatar

Their criticism was directed more forcefully at Kenyan companies that exploited workers by misleadingly promising large salaries for recruitment fees to travel to Qatar. They backed up their complaints with papers proving their point.

After Kibo’s death, he came into contact with many of these workers the athlete He explains in detail the security company that hired him and asks questions about the circumstances of his death.

One of them, who asked not to be named to protect his job, said: “It is really sad to see such a sudden death of a young man who was trying to achieve success in life. It really seems very strange to me. I really hope the authorities come up with clear information.”

Asked if the workers believed in a transparent process, he added: “Not really. But I really feel that Kenyans here and back home will want answers.”

Additional contributor: Adam Leventhal

(Photo: Katherine Ivel/Getty Images)

Further reading on the athlete…