SO NUMEROUS are the controversies surrounding Qatar’s hosting of the World Cup in 2022 that there is a 3,000-word Wikipedia page dedicated to them. Since it was chosen in 2010, many have wondered how the tiny country with no football culture and a sweltering climate won the right to host the sport’s most prestigious tournament. As the Americans and Swiss probe possible corruption in the bidding process, and with the resignation of Sepp Blatter as president of FIFA, football’s governing body (see article), there is now much talk of taking the World Cup away from Qatar.

The Qataris have dismissed the speculation. They claim already to have been cleared by FIFA and hint at a terrible fallout if the first Middle Eastern host is replaced. So thousands of migrant workers continue to build stadiums. Their treatment, more than any other controversy, should provoke outrage, say human-rights groups. In total the emirate hosts 1.5m migrants who toil under a system that has been compared to slavery. In May 2014 Qatar promised reforms to protect labourers. But over a year later, little has changed.

At the heart of the abuse is the kafala system, under which local employers sponsor migrant workers, generally from poorer countries such as India, Pakistan and Nepal. They are thus allowed to enter Qatar, but prohibited from changing jobs or leaving the country without their employer’s permission. Many owe money to unscrupulous recruitment agents back home. Desperate for cash and lacking leverage, they are often forced to work long hours in unsafe conditions. Employers have also been accused of withholding wages, confiscating passports and cramming workers into filthy dormitories.

Abdullah bin Saleh al-Khulaifi, the minister of labour and social affairs, says he is “90% hopeful” that the kafala system will be replaced by the end of the year. The new system would rely on employment contracts lasting up to five years, after which employees could change jobs. Workers would also be given more freedom to leave and return to the country. But few other proposed reforms have actually been implemented. A requirement that wages be paid into designated bank accounts, due in August, may be delayed and will not cover those paid in cash. Even with the reforms, employers will still have considerable sway over workers.

Housing is one area where the government has made progress. Qatar is building seven new “cities” to house 258,000 migrant workers. The largest, Labour City, boasts spacious dormitories with air-conditioning, as well as a 24,000-seat cricket stadium. The number of housing inspectors is increasing. But so is the migrant-labourer population, which is expected to reach 2.5m by 2020. If Qatar loses the 2022 cup, though, that could change.