Dua Lipa has responded to rumors claiming she is performing at the opening ceremony of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. The singer explained in a story on Instagramthat not only would she not appear there, but that there had been no planning or even negotiations.
The Brit, whose father is Kosovar Albanian and mother is Bosnian Albanian, also wrote that she would be cheering for England from afar and that she looks forward to visiting Qatar one day – but only if the country really does have all human rights would respect, as it claimed to implement after the World Cup host commitment.
Verbatim she wrote:
“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 and I look forward to visiting Qatar when it has fulfilled all the human rights pledges it made when it won the right to host the World Cup.”
BTS member Jung Kook is the only officially confirmed act so far to perform at the opening ceremony at Al Bayt Stadium on November 20th. A Fifa Fan Festival is taking place parallel to the World Cup, and Diplo, Calvin Harris and Sean Paul have all confirmed their participation as live acts.
criticism of Qatar
It has been clear since 2010 that the final round of the 22nd World Cup will take place in Qatar. Since then, the Arab Gulf state and FIFA have come under increasing public criticism. The award of the tournament to Qatar is said to have come about through corruption, among other things. In addition, the authoritarian state violates a large number of human rights. Various investigations in recent years have revealed that thousands of low-wage workers died in the construction of the stadiums needed to host a World Cup.
Dua Lipa has released two multi-award-winning studio albums, DUA LIPA and FUTURA NOSTALGIA. In August 2021, she released a joint single with Elton John, “Cold Heart”.