How we got here. Scandals surrounding Qatar, FIFA & the #WorldCup evident over the last 9 years. A few of my tweets date back to 2013. The deaths of Nepalese migrant workers. The UN efforts to call it out. And London-based Portland PR Communications attempts to cover it up...⬇️ 
The appalling list of abuse was well documented. Nepalese workers lost lives, many who survived bear scars for life. Unions warned that labour conditions in the country could result in as many as 4,000 deaths before a ball was kicked. Guardian video report theguardian.com/world/2013/oct…
As global condemnation continued against Qatar's deplorable treatment of migrant workers building the stadium for FIFA's world cup, Qatar hired the London-based PR firm founded by Tim Allen, Portland Communications, to cover it up. theguardian.com/world/on-the-m…
You may remember the name Tim Allen. Allen was an advisor to Tony Blair, researcher when Blair was shadow home secretary, deputy press secretary to Blair, when leader of the Labour Party and from 1997 Allen was the deputy director of communications at 10 Downing Street.
But then Tim Allen sold a majority stake of his PR firm Portland Communications to Omnicom - an American, Portland-based firm in 2012. (Allen kept a significant stake in Portland Communications for himself). ⬇️ #Fifa #WorldCup provokemedia.com/latest/article…
Meanwhile, Guardian continued reports on Qatar abuses over the FIFA #WorldCup stadium 2014: Modern-Day Slavery Focus. Despite host's promises to improve life for foreign labourers, many still live desperate lives in the shadow of unimaginable riches. theguardian.com/global-develop…
They came to Doha "to help fit out a luxurious skyscraper overlooking the Persian Gulf. The Al Bidda Tower is a twisting vortex of glass that has thrust up alongside the GAS company HQs whose vast revenues bankrolling Qatar’s $200bn pre-World Cup building bonanza."
Sub tweet: Important to note - this entire scandal (including payment to Portland Communications) was funded by the very energy companies who refuse to take responsibility for the climate crisis that will impact all our lives. #Fifa #WorldCup #COP27 axios.com/2022/10/14/qat…
Continues: "Dubbed the “tower of football”, it is dominated by the headquarters of the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy – the powerful but scandal-hit government body tasked with organising the 2022 World Cup. #Fifa
"The Al Bidda workers’ predicament is far from unique. Despite recent assurances by the Govt that it will reform its labour system & remove the power that employers have over their workers, the Gulf state’s extraordinary ambition is still being enabled by exploitation.(Guardian).
2015 - In this context, the PR effort by Portland Communications, contracted by Qatar to relaunch Qatar's image for the World Cup, was particularly insidious. When BBC's news team was arrested, Mark Lobel described Qatar Govt's approach:"Jekyll-and-Hyde" theguardian.com/world/2015/may…
2022 -Guardian compiled a ten-year timeline - each year of their reporting on Qatar’s horrendous #WorldCup migrant working conditions that continue to fail the migrants even now.
You can't say that #FIFA was not warned. theguardian.com/global-develop…
You can't say that #FIFA was not warned. theguardian.com/global-develop…
So how did Portland Communications fare from their successful contract with Qatar having achieved #WorldCup2022 ? Their Doha office is thriving:
-> "We work with clients to develop research-led strategies. We craft messaging used to create compelling content. We deliver this content to inform & persuade the audiences that matter. Portland Doha combines this approach with local knowledge - unparalleled regional insights."
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