Dua Lipa is not Opening for FIFA World Cup, Urges Qatar to Fulfill Pledges
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Dua Lipa is not participating in the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
The award-winning artist has dismissed rumors that the World Cup asked her to sing at the opening ceremony in Qatar. In response, she called on them to honor their human rights commitments.
“There is currently a lot of speculation that I will be performing at the opening ceremony of the World Cup in Qatar,” she captioned an Instagram story. “I will not be performing, and nor have I ever been involved in any negotiations to perform.”
Lipa stated that she would be “cheering England on from afar.” Additionally, she hoped to visit Qatar “when it has fulfilled all of its human rights pledges it made when it won the right to host” the international soccer contest.
The contest starts on November 20th.
Meanwhile, the Football Association asked BTS’ Jungkook to sing at the opening ceremony, the band said in a statement.The South Korean artist will also appear on the World Cup soundtrack.
Competition organizers face backlash over reports of corruption and abuse of migrant workers from Africa and Asia.
FIFA has employed these workers to build new stadiums for the competition in the country. Moreover, allegations include discrimination based on nationality, exposure to dangerous work conditions leading to deaths, and unpaid wages, USA Today said.
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Human Rights
In 2010, the federation chose Qatar to host the 2022 World Cup. And it was the first time a Middle Eastern country hosted the event. However, international pressure on human rights abuses has prompted the country to implement labor reforms.
However, allegations continue to persist that abuses weren’t alleviating. This urged activists and officials to push for the tournament’s boycott.
FIFA encouraged World Cup teams to “focus on” the sport instead of the controversy.
On the other hand, Lipa’s home team voiced their take on the matter.
“We have always spoken about issues we think should be talked about, particularly the ones we feel we can affect,” England’s manager Gareth Southgate said.
He added: “Contrary to one or two observations in the last few weeks, we have spoken in the same way other nations have spoken about this tournament, the human rights challenges.
“We’ve been very clear on our standpoint on that.”
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FIFA World Cup Countries
FIFA, or Federation Internationale de Football Association, is a governing body of football, beach football, and futsal.
It is an international contest among national associations from Belgium, France, Denmark, the Netherlands, Germany, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland. Currently, the association has 211 memberships.
To enter the competition, the members must be under one of the six regional confederations in the world. This includes Africa, Asia, Europe, North and Central America and the Caribbean, Oceania, and South America.