A legal action against Fifa over its alleged complicity in the mistreatment of migrant workers in Qatar ahead of the 2022 World Cup has been filed with a Swiss court.

The Netherlands Trade Union Confederation confirmed on Thursday that Fifa has been “summoned to appear in the commercial court in Zürich” in a case it has brought against the world governing body on behalf of the Bangladeshi migrant worker, Nadim Sharaful Alam. The Confederation also confirmed that the Bangladesh Free Trade Union Congress (BFTUC) and the Bangladesh Building and Wood Workers Federation (BBWWF) are also supporting the action.

“The Swiss court is asked to rule that Fifa acted wrongfully by selecting Qatar for the World Cup 2022 without demanding the assurance that Qatar observes fundamental human and labour rights of migrant construction workers, including the abolition of the Kafala system,” read a statement from the Netherlands Trade Union Confederation (FNV). “The Swiss court is furthermore requested to rule that, in the run-up to the 2022 World Cup, Fifa ensures that the rights of migrant construction workers are safeguarded, by insisting on adequate and effective labour reforms in Qatar, that are actually implemented.

“The Bangladeshi Unions BFTUC and BBWWF have decided to join the case as many of their members left Bangladesh to work in Qatar. These unions are actively engaged with issues pertaining to the rights of migrant workers and in the global fight for the protection of the rights of migrant workers in Middle East, specifically Qatar.”

Fifa was made aware of the claim on 10 October and quickly rejected the allegations made against them. Four months earlier, Federico Addiechi, Fifa’s head of sustainability, also released a statement in response to a critical report from Amnesty International in which he insisted the governing body “is fully committed to do its utmost to ensure that human rights are respected on all Fifa World Cup sites and operations and services directly related to the Fifa World Cup”.

While the damages sought by Alam are relatively modest, if the action is successful it could open the door for hundreds of thousands of migrant workers to make similar claims that could run into tens of millions of pounds and further damage the credibility of a tournament that has faced intense criticism ever since Fifa voted in December 2010 to hold the World Cup in the tiny Gulf state.