Dua Lipa dismisses reports she will perform at Qatar World Cup

The 27-year-old singer maintains she will not visit Qatar until ‘it has fulfilled all the human rights pledges it made when it won the right to host’

Jack Rathborn
Sunday 13 November 2022 19:09 GMT
Comments
Qatar Facing Criticism After World Cup Ambassador Makes Homophobic Statements

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Dua Lipa has dismissed speculation she will perform at the opening ceremony of the World Cup.

The 27-year-old singer added she would not visit the country until it has “fulfilled all the human rights pledges” it made when it was awarded the right to host the tournament in December 2010.

She said on Instagram: “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.”

She is currently in Australia for her ongoing 10-month Future Nostalgia tour, with the tournament starting next Monday.

The Qatar World Cup has consistently attracted controversy, with homosexuality illegal and economic migrants working for low pay and under poor conditions while constructing the stadiums.

The country’s sweltering summer conditions also forced the traditional June and July dates to switch to November and December.

Sepp Blatter, the disgraced former Fifa chief who awarded Qatar the competition, conceded this week that it was a mistake to award the tournament to the country.

“It’s a country that’s too small,” Blatter said. “Football and the World Cup are too big for that.”

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in