Zahir Belounis can finally return home after he was granted an exit visa to leave Qatar on Wednesday.
The 33-year-old French-Algerian footballer has been stranded in the Western Asian nation since June 2012 following a dispute over unpaid wages with his club, El-Jaish Sports Club.
Belounis’s plight has made international headlines in recent weeks, with international players’ union FIFPro taking up the case with Fifa and urging the world’s football governing body to intervene.
According to FIFPro, Belounis joined El-Jaish in 2007 and had in 2010 subsequently extended his contract to June 2015. But the club stopped paying his wages in November 2011 and even tried to get him to terminate his contract, as well as sign a document to state that they owed him nothing.
Belounis refused and sued El-Jaish, which has resulted in him being stranded since. This is because under the kefala work visa system in the Gulf State, migrant workers cannot leave the country unless their employers grant them permission even if the employment period has ended.
FIFPro wrote a letter to Fifa on November 13 but the latter responded two days later to say it could not help because Belounis went to an ordinary court in Qatar and not Fifa’s Dispute Resolution Chamber.
“Furthermore, we would like to point out that Fifa has to date received no contractual claim from Zahir Belounis against his Qatari club as well as any accompanying documentation to support his case,” a statement read.
The French embassy has intervened, while groups such as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have also tried to help.
FIFPro added that Belounis was forced to sell most of his possessions to survive, having had no income to support his wife and two children.
Belounis also made an impassioned plea in an open letter to French football legend Zinedine Zidane and current Bayern Munich manager Pep Guardiola, who both served as ambassadors for Qatar’s successful 2022 World Cup bid.
Describing his situations as a “nightmare”, Belounis called for help to get out of a system that was “slowly killing” him as well as several other workers trapped under the same circumstances.
“I speak to you as fathers and as former footballers and I ask you, please speak up and do what you can to help me get home,” he said.
On its part, El-Jaish declined comment while the Qatar Football Association denied the accusations in a CNN report in October. A statement claimed Belounis did not contact them over the matter and it had in fact helped him obtain compensation when he was involved in another dispute with Al Markhiya Club during a loan spell there in 2011.
Belounis believed he could finally leave Qatar earlier this month after signing a document to forfeit his right to the unpaid wages, but the ordeal dragged on after he refused to sign a second document.
Having entertained thoughts of suicide and a hunger strike, there was a happy ending for Belounis. His brother, Madhi, tweeted on Wednesday that he has been granted the coveted exit visa and is scheduled to land in Paris on Thursday.
“Thank you people for everything… If I am out, it’s because of your fantastic commitment and support for human rights,” Belounis said through his brother.
FIFPro also issued a statement welcoming the news on its website.
“FIFPro is delighted to hear Zahir Belounis’ ordeal will soon be over,” it read.
“Zahir Belounis is scheduled to leave Doha for Paris, on Thursday (November 28). As the worldwide representative for professional footballers, FIFPro will be able to welcome back a long-lost family member.
“The World Footballers’ Association would also like to express its gratitude to all who joined together with FIFPro to ensure a successful outcome.”
As a consequence of Belounis’s incident, FIFPro will head to Qatar on Thursday to commence a four-day visit seeking “urgent talks” with the football authorities and World Cup organisers.
“The World Footballers’ Association will not sit idly by as the rights of the players are being abused,” a statement on its website read.
“FIFPro is seriously concerned by allegations of human rights violations in the construction of World Cup stadia and related infrastructure.
“To prevent future misery for professional footballers, FIFPro will target the application of the kafala sytem with Qatari authorities and football’s world governing body FIFA.”
Footballer trapped in Qatar granted exit
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