Dua Lipa has denied reports she will perform at the FIFA World Cup opening ceremony in Qatar. The singer said she will "look forward to visiting Qatar when it has fulfilled all the human rights pledges it made" when it became host. Other acts including Black-Eyed Peas, J. Balvin and BTS' Junk Kook are set to perform.
British singer Robbie Williams faced backlash from fans after the news broke that he would perform during the tournament in Doha. Willliams' social media pages were flooded with negative feedback. One fan penned: "Sorry but the Qatar World Cup
is wrong on many levels and I am disappointed that Robbie feels it is
acceptable to so blatantly support it." Another said: "I love him but this is disappointing." A third wrote: "Hope that's not true" with another adding: "That's sad, really sad."
Qatar has been criticized for its stance on same-sex relationships, its human rights record and its treatment of migrant workers. Last year, the Guardian reported that 6,500 migrant workers from India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka had died in Qatar since it won its World Cup bid.
Lipa posted an Instagram story on Sunday, which read: "There is currently a lot of speculation that I will be performing at the opening ceremony of the World Cup in Qatar. I will not be performing and nor have I ever been involved in any negotiation to perform. I will be cheering England on from afar... One love, Dua."
Lipa is not the first major name to make a point of not playing in Qatar. Rod Stewart recently revealed he turned down the opportunity. I was actually offered a lot of money, over $1m, to play there 15 months ago. I turned it down. It's not right to go," he told the Sunday Times.
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