Rod Stewart Says He Turned Down ‘Over $1 Million’ Offer to Play Qatar World Cup: ‘It’s Not Right to Go’

Thania Garcia
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Rod Stewart revealed he turned down over a million dollars to perform at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, adding to the growing air of uncertainty and criticism surrounding the tournament, which is set to kick off this upcoming weekend in Qatar.

The decision to host the World Cup in Qatar has shone a spotlight on the country’s human rights violations, namely its systemic discrimination against women and LGBTQ people, as well as large number of recent deaths amongst migrant workers on construction sites.

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Stewart told The Times that he was “offered a lot of money, over $1 million, to play there 15 months ago,” and opted to turn it down, citing the nation’s highly publicized political turmoil. “It’s not right to go. And the Iranians should be out too for supplying arms,” he said.

Nassar al-Khater, the chief executive of the FIFA 2022 World Cup in Qatar, has previously expressed that all fans “of any gender, (sexual) orientation, religion, race” should feel welcome and safe at the event. Since then, World Cup officials have had to provide further clarifications after a senior security official told the AP that rainbow flags, a symbol of gay rights, could be taken from fans for their own protection.

Qatar has enlisted soccer stars like David Beckham as paid ambassadors for the event, while stars like British comedian Joe Lycett have criticized him for the sponsorship deal. Lycett even offered to donate £10,000 ($11,772) to queer charities if Beckham ended the deal before the tournament started. If Beckham continues his partnership, Lycett said he will shred the money on a live stream. England manager Gareth Southgate was also quoted saying that his players will be speaking out about human rights abuses during the tournament.

Over the weekend, pop singer Dua Lipa denied rumors that she would be playing at the event and called for the host nation to address its human rights abuses. “I will not be performing and nor have I ever been involved in any negotiations to perform,” she wrote in an Instagram story. “I look forward to visiting Qatar when it has fulfilled all the human rights pledges it made when it won the right to host the World Cup.”

So far, the only confirmed performer is BTS’ Jung Kook, who is also a contributor to the World Cup soundtrack.

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