Robbie Williams faces backlash over ‘Qatar World Cup gig’ amid human rights row

Robbie Williams has come under fire after it was announced that he will perform at the World Cup in Qatar.

FIFA’s decision to hold the World Cup in Qatar has been surrounded by controversy, especially regarding migrant workers and the LGBTQ+ community.

The 48-year-old singer, who previously performed at the opening ceremony of the 2018 World Cup in Russia, was revealed during a press conference in Doha as one of the music acts to perform at the Qatar Live concerts.

Robbie will play at Doha Golf Club on December 8, along with Maroon 5 and Post Malone, who are also reportedly set to make appearances to coincide with the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Fans expressed their “disappointment” after learning the news on the Robbie Williams Fanfest page.

One wrote: ‘Sorry, but the World Cup in Qatar is wrong in many ways and I am disappointed that Robbie finds it acceptable to support it so blatantly.’

Another said: ‘I love him, but this is disappointing.’

A third wrote: ‘Hope that’s not true’ with another addition: ‘That’s sad, really sad.’

One asked, ‘How do fans make an official protest? If he were pressured by his fans and then persuaded to then choose not to appear, that would be a huge statement on behalf of all those people affected by both the building regime there and their attitude towards it. other things. I don’t know anything about online petitions!’

While another added: ‘He definitely has a voice/opinion about it… So disappointing.’

The fan page responded to the comments: “We’re just delivering the news as we find it. Rob’s team will have made the decision to have him perform there.’

Robbie’s representatives made no comment when approached by MailOnline.

Qatar has been under intense scrutiny of the physical and contractual terms of hundreds of thousands of migrant workers in the small emirate since the World Cup hosting rights were won 12 years ago.

It remains to be seen how much time World Cup broadcasters will spend bringing to the attention of the accusations against the Qatari government, including The Guardian’s 2013 claims that workers were denied food and water and had their passports stolen. declined.

Some argue that they were not paid, or if they were, the payments were minimal and long overdue. A 2019 study by the Daily Mirror found that 28,000 workers were paid about $1 per hour over a 48-hour work week.

Most damningly, The Wall Street Journal reported in 2015 that more than 1,200 workers died building the infrastructure for the tournament. Last year, The Guardian brought that figure closer to 6,500.

Qatar also punishes homosexuality with imprisonment and considers men to be the guardians of their female relatives.

In March, FIFA President Gianni Infantino claimed Qatar has been progressive on labor rights: “I am delighted to see the strong commitment of the Qatari authorities to ensure that reforms are fully implemented in the labor market, creating a lasting legacy of the FIFA World Cup is left behind. long after the event, and in the long run benefit migrant workers in the host country.’