QATAR World Cup organizers said Sunday migrant workers building stadiums will receive more than US$5 million in compensation after recruitment fees were demanded to secure employment in the Gulf nation.

The announcement highlights ongoing concerns about the exploitation of workers, many of them drawn from South Asian nations including India and Nepal, who are relied on to prepare Qatar for the FIFA tournament in 2022.

World Cup organizing committee secretary general Hassan Al Thawadi acknowledged Sunday that “all too often, the very people who have left their homes to provide for their families are the ones exploited.”

Al Thawadi said his organizing committee and contractors “have agreed on a mechanism to ensure that our workers are reimbursed for the hardships they may have endured when coming to Qatar to work.”

Organizers said 12 million Qatari riyals (US$5.2 million) in compensation will be paid to workers from companies over the next two years.

(SD-Agencies)