Football’s governing body, Fifa, has launched an investigation after a BBC news team was arrested in Qatar while reporting on the plight of migrant workers building stadiums for the 2022 World Cup.

The four-strong crew had been invited by the Qatari’s prime minister’s office on an official tour of new accommodation for construction workers. It was part of a public relations drive in the wake of an international outcry over the slave-like conditions for workers exposed by a Guardian investigation.

But despite official permission to report in Qatar, the crew were arrested by the security services, interrogated and jailed for two days before being released without charge.

Human Rights Watch, which has highlighted Qatar’s poor record on labour conditions, described the arrests as “jaw-droppingly awful PR”. It pointed out that last week a German television crew was also arrested on a tour of Qatar.