In a few days, the World Cup will begin in Qatar. Meanwhile, the criticism of the tournament being held in the desert emirate has not stopped. Rod Stewart does not seem to want to attend the event either: the singer rejects a lucrative offer to perform there.
Rod Stewart has turned down a lucrative offer to perform in Qatar. The singer explained to the “Sunday Times”: “I was actually offered a lot of money 15 months ago, over a million dollars, to play there. I turned it down.” When asked why he turned down the offer, he said: “It’s not right to leave.”
Fans attending Qatar games “must be careful,” Stewart said. In Qatar, for example, homosexuality can lead to prison terms and even a death sentence for Muslims. When the Sunday Times journalist suggested that Stewart could have sung his song “The Killing of Georgie,” about the murder of a gay friend of the star in the ’70s, at the opening ceremony, the musician agreed, “That would be good been.”
Stewart isn’t the only pop star who isn’t an option at this World Cup. Dua Lipa has also just commented on rumors that she will play at the ceremony. In her Instagram stories, the musician makes it clear that she will not perform in Qatar and has never been involved in negotiations. She went on to explain her attitude: “I will be cheering for England from afar and I look forward to visiting Qatar when they have fulfilled all the human rights pledges they made when they were awarded the World Cup.”
However, the stars promoting the event are not doing well on social media. David Beckham, who is said to be paid £10m a year as Qatar’s ambassador, has been criticized for months. In a Twitter video, British comedian Joe Lycett described the former soccer professional as an “icon” among gays and appealed to him to step down as an ambassador. If he complies, Lycett will donate £10,000 to charity. Otherwise he would shred the money in a live video, he threatened.
The number of people and institutions boycotting the World Cup in Qatar is growing steadily. In Germany, many pubs have announced that they are not planning any public viewing or public events this year. Even an athlete like football world champion Philip Lahm told the magazine “Kicker” that he did not want to fly to the emirate. “Human rights should be one of the most important considerations when it comes to organizing a tournament. If a country gets the nod that is one of the worst performers in this regard, you start to wonder what the criteria were for the decision,” he said.
