Dua Lipa made it very clear over the weekend that she will not be taking the stage at the upcoming opening ceremonies for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. In addition to denying the booking, the singer said she hoped that the nation will fulfill the human rights pledges it made in order to land the bid.
FIFA’s choice to hold the World Cup in Qatar, a country that battled a disproportionately high number of deaths among migrant workers during the construction of stadiums, has drawn intense criticism. In addition to having weak labour laws, Qatar forbids homosexuality, reported Variety.
“There is currently a lot of speculation that I will be performing at the opening ceremony of the World Cup in Qatar,” Dua wrote in an Instagram Story on Sunday according to EW. “I will not be performing and nor have I ever been involved in any negotiations to perform.”
As per the report, earlier this month, FIFA urged World Cup teams to “focus on” the sport and do not allow it to be dragged into every ideological or political battle that exists.” England manager Gareth Southgate has promised that his players will speak out about human rights abuses during the tournament. “We have always spoken about issues we think should be talked about, particularly the ones we feel we can affect.”
And though she will be cheering on the English team “from afar,” the singer said she looks forward to visiting Qatar when it has “fulfilled all of its human rights pledges it made when it won the right to host” the international men’s soccer tourney that begins on Nov. 20.
Controversy has swirled around Qatar’s bid to host one of the world’s most-watched sporting events given the country’s treatment of migrant workers and criminalization of same-sex relationships. There have been ongoing concerns about the reported use of forced labor and the abuse of migrant workers in the first Middle Eastern nation to host the tournament, including reports that more than 6,500 migrant laborers from India, Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka have died in Qatar while building structures for the games.
