Artists Refuse to Appear at the Qatar 2022 World Cup: Who are They and Why The Cancel?

In 2010, Qatar was chosen as the venue for the 2022 World Cup, but it appears that the event has been plagued with controversy ever since. This, from the alleged corruption by the country to get votes in the election, through the torturous conditions of more than 30,000 foreign workers (the most extremist sources estimate that 6,500 died) for the construction of a new airport, roads and stadiums, even the homophobia and machismo that attendees must endure by the rules of the Arab nation.

Now, just a few days before the Qatar 2022 World Cup begins, several of the artists who were scheduled to perform at the opening ceremony have denied their participation.

Read also: The importance of the opening ceremonies in the soccer world cups

Which artists have announced that they will not be in Qatar 2022?

The event has been particularly zealous with the list of artists, and so far only BTS member Jungkook had been confirmed. Names like Shakira, Maluma and J Balvin appeared on the map only as rumors. The rejection by some was recently announced.

Rod Stewart, renowned British singer, revealed to The Sunday Times that he did not accept a sum of more than a million dollars that he was offered fifteen months ago because "it is not right to go." He even invited the fans to reflect, and also assured that they should take care of themselves. The reason for his rejection? Although the singer did not specifically state why it is not right to go, he did say that, if he had accepted the proposal, he would have sung "The Killing of Georgie", a song that narrates the murder of a gay friend in the 70s.

On the other hand, the singer from Barranquilla, Colombia, Shakira confirmed her rejection, due to the pressure of criticism and requests from her fans. It can be inferred that these criticisms come from the fact that a large part of their fans are part of or support the LGBTIQ+ community.

Likewise, it seems that the Colombian artist J Balvin will not participate in the opening of the World Cup, which will be in Jor. According to the Noticias RCN channel, who contacted the singer's representative, Balvin refused to go to the event because he disagreed with the lack of human rights that demonstrate the treatment of women, LGBTIQ+ people and the working conditions they have surrounded this edition of the World Cup.

For her part, Dua Lipa, who was suspected of being there, stated through her social networks that she has never been invited or involved in negotiations with Qatar 2022. Likewise, she stated that she hopes to “[…] visit Qatar when they have fulfilled all the human rights promises they made when they won the right to host the World Cup."

In summary, everything indicates that the rejections are directly related to the lack of guarantees for human rights that Qatar 2022 has shown and that they will surely become more visible throughout its development.

Meanwhile, other artists who entered the scene such as Robie Williams, Black Eyed Peas, David Guetta, Steve Aoki, Major Lazer, Craig David, Omar Montes and Maluma have not made any statement regarding this worrying situation.