(MENAFN- PRovoke) NEW YORK - Communications firms accused of helping Qatar conceal labor abuses tied to the 2022 World Cup are due to respond to a federal lawsuit by August 1, ahead of a court conference later that month.

The lawsuit, filed in April, accuses WPP-owned Ogilvy and Memac Ogilvy, along with Omnicom subsidiaries Portland PR and Mercury Public Affairs, of working with the Qatari government to run a coordinated communications and lobbying effort aimed at deflecting scrutiny over the treatment of migrant workers. The plaintiffs-more than 100 men from Africa and Asia-allege they were trafficked into Qatar under false pretenses, had their passports confiscated, and were forced to work long hours under harsh conditions while building and staffing fan experiences tied to the tournament.

“This coordinated public relations and government relations campaign was a commercial venture designed to hide the labor abuse through 'sportswashing' Qatar's image, taking advantage of Qatar's role in the World Cup to mask its horrific human rights record,” the complaint state s.“The public relations venture helped Qatar pay lip service to the international community's loud, repeated, and cacophonous alarm that labor abuse was endemic to its World Cup preparations, and the lobbying venture slowed the pressure to reform. This case is about certain public relations and lobbying firms that entered into the venture designed to help Qatar keep the steady flow of exploited labor available.”

At the center of the complaint is what the plaintiffs describe as the“World Cup Labor Venture,” a messaging and government relations effort designed to cast Qatar's labor practices in a favorable light.

The complaint cites Portland's decade-long relationship with Qatar, which the firm publicly described as based on a“broad remit,” ranging from“government affairs through to nation branding,” including public relations and media management services. Mercury, the complaint says, is a lobbying firm“hired by Qatar to, in relevant part, advocate to the United States regarding Qatar, labor, and the World Cup.”

Dubai-based Memac Ogilvy“for years has worked for Qatar Foundation, including on the World Cup Labor Venture,” according to the complaint. It also alleges that Ogilvy PR and Ogilvy Government Relations were involved in that work.

Plaintiffs contend the communications efforts included managed press tours of model housing sites, while access to actual worker accommodations was limited or denied. The goal, they allege, was to generate international media coverage that minimized or contradicted independent reports about labor conditions in Qatar.

Qatar's treatment of migrant workers ahead of the World Cup drew widespread criticism from human rights organizations, including Amnesty International , as well as international media . Amnesty documented unsafe working conditions, wage theft, and fatalities linked to tournament construction.

Both Ogilvy and Omnicom declined to comment for this story.

The court has scheduled an initial pretrial conference for August 21.

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