AMNESTY International called on the FA yesterday to press Qatar, hosts of the 2022 World Cup, into urgently strengthening protections for migrant workers.

The human rights organisation published a 56-page report following an investigation into the deaths of migrant workers over the past decade, since the Middle Eastern country was awarded the tournament.

The report, put together after consulting medical experts and reviewing government data on thousands of deaths, claims that Qatari authorities routinely issue death certificates for migrant workers without conducting adequate investigations.

During analysis of 18 death certificates issued during the last four years, Amnesty found that 15 of them provided no information about underlying causes, with phrases such as “acute heart failure, natural causes” and “heart failure, unspecified” recording the cause of death instead.

Similar words were used for more than half of the 35 deaths recorded as “non-work related” on World Cup facilities since 2015, with research suggesting that inadequate investigations into the deaths were carried out and that several families were not given compensation.

Epidemiological experts believe it should be possible to identify the exact cause of death in all but 1 per cent of cases in a well-resourced health system, but Amnesty’s review of data found that the rate of unexplained migrant worker deaths in Qatar may be closer to 70 per cent.

The families of six workers who died were interviewed — each worker had no underlying health conditions and had passed all mandatory medical tests prior to arriving in Qatar for work on World Cup sites.

Amnesty International UK chief executive Sacha Deshmukh said: “Migrant worker deaths are casting a long shadow over the 2022 World Cup.

“The FA, as part of the Uefa working group on workers’ rights in Qatar, should be at the forefront of concerted efforts within Fifa to press Qatar to urgently strengthen migrant worker protections, and to investigate deaths and compensate families.

“England players, staff and supporters can use their influence by keeping the issue of migrant worker rights in Qatar in the public eye. There is still an enormous amount to play for.”

In March, England boss Gareth Southgate revealed that talks had taken place between the FA and Amnesty International regarding workers’ rights in the country, with players from Germany, Netherlands and Norway protesting against human rights issues in Qatar during the same month.

Direct conversations between players and migrant workers have also been facilitated by the global players’ union Fifpro and the Building and Woodworkers’ International (BWI) union federation.

But widespread concerns remain, even after Qatar extended a summer working hours ban and measures to stop outdoor work based on high heat and humidity, as well as advancing legislation allowing workers to stop and submit a complaint to the Ministry of Administrative Development, Labour and Social Affairs if they are concerned about heat stress.

Amnesty International head of economic and social justice Steve Cockburn said: “When relatively young and healthy men die suddenly after working long hours in extreme heat, it raises serious questions about the safety of working conditions in Qatar.

“In failing to investigate the underlying causes of migrant workers’ deaths, the Qatari authorities are ignoring warning signs which could, if addressed, save lives.

“The failure to investigate, remedy and prevent the deaths of migrant workers is a breach of Qatar’s obligation to uphold and protect the right to life. Qatar is one of the richest countries in the world — not only can it afford to do far better, it has an obligation to do so.

“Qatar must establish a specialist team to properly investigate the death of every worker and ensure that compensation is paid in any case where working conditions such as exposure to extreme heat cannot be ruled out as a contributing factor.”

The FA acknowledged the report and said it is “in regular dialogue with Amnesty International, who are keeping us informed of developments, and also with Fifa, other member associations and the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office.

“We are working closely with all to ensure that, if we qualify, we approach our participation in the upcoming Fifa World Cup in a socially responsible manner.

“From those discussions to date, we believe that there is evidence of progress being made by Qatar, however we recognise there is still more to be done.

“Our view remains that change is best achieved by working collaboratively with others so that we can continue to ask the right questions, while always being mindful that we have our own challenges in this country.”