FIFA World Cup: Taiwan Thanks The Organisers As China Reference Is Removed From Fan IDs

 Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry thanked FIFA World Cup organizers in Qatar on Thursday after organizers removed a reference to China for Taiwanese visitors applying for an identification card that doubles as an entry visa.

All World Cup ticket holders have to apply for the Hayya card, which is used to identify fans. The card also serves as their Qatar visa. However, Taiwan's government expressed concern to FIFA after finding out that the online application system had no mention of Taiwan. The online portal listed the island as, “Taiwan, Province of China", which angered Taiwan’s government. 

Taiwan Foreign Ministry thanks FIFA

On Wednesday, the system began listing the island as “Taiwan". Subsequently, Taiwan Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Joanne Ou said it was a positive development and thanked the organizers. Ou also appreciated FIFA organizers for their prompt action on this matter. 

Taiwan has never played at the World Cup finals. Last year, Taiwan lost all 8 matches in the second round of the Asian 2022 tournament. Reportedly, Taiwan competes at most international competitions like the Olympics as “Chinese Taipei" to avoid any kind of political problems.

Taiwan has no diplomatic relations with Qatar. However, Taiwan and Qatar enjoy robust economic ties, according to Taiwan Embassy. 

FIFA World Cup: Exploitation of workers

Earlier, Qatar World Cup organizers admitted that workers were exploited working on projects linked to the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Over 24,000 workers suffered human rights abuses in Qatar. 100 workers who built the Al Bayt Stadium were not paid for up to seven months.

Amnesty International also said that security guards were forced to work longer hours. According to human rights activists, the workers working on projects linked to the 2022 FIFA World Cup also suffered systematic human rights abuses. Earlier, Amnesty urged FIFA to act over the alleged abuse of security guards in Qatar.