- Paul Glenn and Fiona Nimoni
- BBC
Lipa is not the first to indicate that he will not participate in the opening of the World Cup in Qatar
Singer Dua Lipa denied rumors regarding her participation in the opening ceremony of the FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
She said she was “looking forward to visiting Qatar following fulfilling all the human rights commitments it (the country) made” when it was chosen to host the tournament.
Qatar has faced criticism over its stance on same-sex relations, its human rights record and its treatment of migrant workers.
“There is currently a lot of speculation that I will be performing at the opening ceremony of the World Cup in Qatar,” Lipa posted on Instagram on Sunday.
She added, “I will not make an offer and I have not participated in any negotiations for that.”
Lipa said: “I will support England from afar … one love, Dua.”
Lipa, who was born in London to Kosovo parents of Albanian descent, is not the first to indicate that she will not participate in the opening of the Qatar World Cup.
Sir Rod Stewart recently revealed that he had turned down an offer in this regard.
He told the Sunday Times: “I was actually offered a lot of money, more than a million dollars, to participate there 15 months ago, and I said no, it’s not right to go there.”
“The Iranians should also be expelled because of the arms supply,” he added, referring to Iran’s supplying Russia with drones, which Iran denied.
FIFA and UEFA suspended Russia’s participation in all tournaments in February, following the country’s invasion of Ukraine.
Despite this, the American pop group “Black Eyed Peas” and Colombian singer J Balvin are scheduled to participate in the World Cup in Qatar.
Meanwhile, the comedian, Joe Lysette, criticized the player David Beckham, who was contracted by Qatar to become an ambassador for the World Cup.
picture released, Benderslikebeckham.com
Joe Lysette holding a sum of money
Lycett has promised to donate £10,000 of his own money to charities if the former footballer breaks a contract reportedly worth millions of pounds with Qatar.
And Lisset threatened that if the former football player refused, he would tear 10 thousand pounds sterling, right before the opening ceremony of the World Cup.
The BBC contacted David Beckham for comment, and his management replied: “We are not commenting at this time.”
Beckham was urged to speak out regarding the crimina
lization of same-sex relations, which is “extremely troubling” in Qatar.
picture released, Archyde.com
David Beckham has represented England at three World Cups as a player
A source close to Beckham told the BBC last year: “Of course David wanted to ascertain the facts and any concerns he might have regarding his gay friends and football fans.”
He added, “Some laws and beliefs in the region differ from those of his own, but the Qataris have always said that everyone will be safe and welcome in the 2022 World Cup, and he believes that the pledge is sincere, and he has witnessed evidence from the World Cup organizers confirming this.”
Qatar’s ambassador to the World Cup, Khaled Salman, made headlines last week following describing homosexuality as a “mental disorder”.
Human Rights Watch described the statements of the former Qatari player as “harmful and unacceptable.”
“The failure of the Qatari government to confront this false information has a significant impact on the lives of LGBTQ people in Qatar, from fueling discrimination and violence once morest them to justifying their subjection to conversion centers,” said Rasha Younis, a senior LGBT rights researcher at Human Rights Watch. state-sponsored sexual relations,” she said.
The organizers responsible for the Qatar World Cup said that there would be no discrimination once morest anyone coming to watch the tournament.
Not a good defense
Beckham’s former England and Manchester United colleague, Gary Neville, recently appeared as a guest on the “I’ve Got News for You” presenter, and was asked by captain Ian Hislop regarding his decision to travel to Qatar to comment on the World Cup.
“It has always been my opinion that you either highlight the issues and challenges in these countries and talk regarding them, or you don’t say anything and stay home and don’t go. You have to challenge them,” Neville said.
“There is another option, stay home and highlight the violations,” Hislop said.
He added, “I don’t have to go and take the Qataris’ money. I’m not trying to be tired, but it’s not a very good defence.”