The organisers of the 2022 World Cup will lay off an undisclosed number of staff as gas-rich Qatar cuts costs amid the coronavirus economic downturn, several sources have told AFP. The job losses, which have not previously been reported, follow similar redundancies at state-run organisations including Qatar Petroleum and Qatar Airways. The government body organising the tournament, known as the Supreme Committee, directly employs 550 people -- both Qataris and expats -- but oversees the work of tens of thousands of contractors.

"The Supreme Committee has recently undertaken an internal exercise to assess the current workforce and engaged in a budget management and operational efficiency exercise as part of this transition," the organisation said in a statement to AFP Monday. The 2022 organisers did not confirm how many posts would be lost or what the projected savings would be. Qataris have largely been spared from past staff cuts at other state-controlled organisations.