It was sent after the group released yet another damning and explosive report, once again alleging the presence of a series of serious human rights abuses at the Khalifa International Stadium - due to be the centrepiece of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar - adding further to the criticism FIFA has received since controversially awarding the tournament to the oil and gas-rich country more than five years ago. 

“Although not mentioned in your letter to FIFA, it is our understanding that the investigations took place from February 2015 to May 2015,” Addiechi’s letter reads.

“FIFA and indeed many other stakeholders with the responsibility and influence to put a stop to any possible abuses were only informed between December 2015 and March 2016. While we understand this was due to the need to validate information, in our opinion it would be much more effective if Amnesty International would share its concerns in a more timely manner in order to be able to work together to resolve any issues as quickly as possible and in the best interest of those whose human rights are at risk.”

What the head of sustainability - make of the job title what you will - is essentially doing is shifting the blame on to Amnesty International, a tactic that has become synonymous with FIFA in recent years as it has regularly been accused of corruption. 

It is always somebody else’s fault.

What Addiechi neglects to address is why FIFA themselves are not constantly monitoring what is going on at these construction sites being built in their name when the accusations of systematic abuses and in some cases forced labour are only getting worse. They claim they are, although there’s little evidence to suggest they have made any concrete progress.

After all, such claims are nothing new and have plagued and underpinned preparations for the 2022 World Cup, controversially awarded to the Gulf nation, which has next to no footballing history, in December 2010.

In December 2015, Amnesty International accused Qatar 2022 and FIFA of doing too little to address "rampant migrant labour abuse" following the publication of high death toll figures among migrant workers, which claimed as many as 1,200 may have died since 2010.

With the number of people working on World Cup sites set to increase almost 10-fold to around 36,000 in the next two years, the fear is that the amount of deaths will also sky rocket. Yet the latest report, unveiled on Thursday (March 31) and which dominated headlines of news outlets and publications across the world, did not just raise concerns about mortality.

Every single construction and landscape worker who spoke to Amnesty International reported abuse of one kind or another, including being forced to live in squalid and cramped accommodation and being required to pay large fees - $500 (£347/€442) to $4,300 (£3,000/€3,800) - to recruiters in their home country to obtain a job in Qatar.

They also complained of being deceived as to the pay or type of work on offer, as well as not receiving their wages for several months, employers not giving or renewing residence permits, firms confiscating workers' passports and not issuing exit permits, and being threatened for complaining about their conditions.

These are all, quite frankly, basic human rights. Going without money and being told their employment may be withdrawn if they dare to address any concerns they may have to their superiors amounts to psychological torture. The workers should not have to go through this in order to build a sporting facility - football is a huge part of many of our lives but it is not a matter of life and death, whatever Bill Shankly may have claimed.

Addiechi, a relative unknown in the organisation, does at least make a valid point in the letter when he states: “FIFA cannot and indeed does not have the responsibility to solve all the societal problems in the host nation of a World Cup.” After all, FIFA is supposed to be a sporting organisation and has no real power when it comes to sorting out a country’s internal and political affairs.

But that particular statement also provides the crux of the issues many of us have with the quadrennial footballing showpiece, designed to show just how beautiful the game is meant to be, taking place in Qatar. If they have such well-known problems, such as the Kafala sponsorship system, under which migrant workers cannot change jobs or leave the country without their employer’s or sponsor’s permission, why were they given the tournament in the first place?

It is a question that we will continue to ask until any potential criminal wrongdoing in the bid process is brought to light by the authorities.

It is also a question newly-elected FIFA President Gianni Infantino, who has enjoyed a relatively smooth transition from number two at UEFA to the enormity of the hotseat at world football’s governing body thus far, addressed early on in his tenure when he insisted the 2018 and 2022 World Cups would not be switched elsewhere despite constant calls for him to do just that.

Yet if the alleged abuses of migrant workers at the Khalifa International Stadium, part of the Aspire Zone complex which has been frequented by top footballing names such as Manchester City’s Yaya Toure and Angel Di Maria of Paris Saint-Germain, continue at such an alarming rate, Infantino must act. And act hard.

He cannot afford to follow in the footsteps of his now banned predecessor Sepp Blatter, who was faced with similar accusations during his corruption-plagued reign as FIFA President and often chose to turn a blind eye.

Amnesty International, among other pledges, are calling on FIFA’s major sponsors, such as drinks giant Coca-Cola and fast food conglomerate McDonald’s, to address the exploitation of workers at the venue and have asked the organisation to disclose exactly how they go about combating an issue which shows little sign of dissipating into the Gulf air.

FIFA’s letter of response was not particularly successful with this aim. Full of platitudes and corporate jargon, it only regurgitated previous assertions and did little to install confidence that they and Qatar 2022 can work together to rid the country of abuse.

On the other hand, Salil Shetty, secretary general of the human rights group, chose not to hide behind generalities. He got straight to the point and it is little wonder his comments attracted a high degree of coverage with soundbites such as “the abuse of migrant workers is a stain on the conscience of world football” and “despite five years of promises, FIFA has failed almost completely to stop the World Cup being built on human rights abuses”.

Even he directed one of his quotes specifically at Infantino. “If FIFA’s new leadership is serious about turning a page, it cannot allow its showcase global event to take place in stadiums built on the abuse of migrant workers,” he said.

Now it is his time to move away from the blame-shifting, sweep-the-issue-under-the-carpet regime that controlled world football for so long. The lives of many workers in Qatar may depend on it.