It was an open rumor for days, but Shakira (Barranquilla, 45 years old) did not confirm or deny her participation in the opening gala of the World Cup in Qatar on Sunday, November 20.
But, finally, sources from the singer's environment have informed the Efe agency this Thursday that she will finally not go to the Arab country for the sports event.
Neither for its inauguration nor for another moment.
She never announced that she had a song for the tournament, unlike what happened in 2010 with
Waka Waka,
one of her biggest hits.
The same sources assure that the information published so far about their participation and their subsequent cancellation have been based on rumors and unofficial information.
With this confirmation, the singer from Barranquilla joins other stars who have decided not to participate in this tournament due to their rejection of the social and political situation in Qatar.
More information
Rod Stewart refuses to perform at the World Cup in Qatar for ethical reasons
The possible participation in the World Cup in Qatar was making her the protagonist of much criticism and some even accused her of being an accomplice of a country that does not respect freedoms and basic human rights.
In 2019, the singer reached an agreement with the Qatari government for her Pies Descalzos Foundation.
For years, Shakira has been linked to soccer events and her music has played in three World Cups.
Undoubtedly, where she obtained the most success was her in the World Cup in South Africa: the song she prepared became a
hit.
Also,
In the African country, she met the man who, until a few months ago, had been her partner and the father of her two children.
Her last appearance at a World Cup was in Brazil, in 2014, with the song
La la la
, which she performed at the closing ceremony with Brazilian singer-songwriter Carlinhos Brown at the Maracana stadium.
The one from Barranquilla hasn't stopped grabbing headlines in recent months, and not always because of its music.
Whether due to their separation, the problems with the Spanish Treasury or the legal proceedings for the custody of their children, Shakira has been at the center of controversy throughout 2022. The sympathy that she aroused by speaking openly about her separation from Piqué could have disappeared in case he had decided to go to the Qatari country.
There are already several well-known faces that have called for a boycott of the great football event due to the violation of human rights exercised by the Qatari regime in matters such as women's rights or the LGTBI collective.
This same week, Rod Stewart said that he had refused to perform at the World Cup in Qatar for ethical reasons.
The English interpreter (Highgate, 77 years old) told it in an interview with
The Sunday Times
newspaper .
“They offered me over a million dollars 15 months ago to play.
I turned it down.
It did not seem right to me to go, ”he assured emphatically.
Another artist who has been in the focus of the pools of the stars who were going to perform in Qatar has been Dua Lipa.
This same week the singer was in charge of denying the rumors that insisted that she would be in charge of opening the sports event.
She did so with a message on her Instagram in which she explained that such a performance had never been on the table, adding that she will visit the country when it "respects all the human rights that she promised to uphold when they won the right to celebrate." the tournament".
In Spain, the popular
streamer
Ibai Llanos has made public his resignation from participating in the World Cup, being very critical of the Qatari regime and the whitening campaign that this event may entail.
"The opportunity arose for me to go on the plane of the Spanish soccer election to Qatar and well, I was going to record content [...] but it doesn't come out of my balls and I'm not going to do it," Llanos announced on his channel from Twitch.
"Do you know the number of sponsors, money, whitening towards Qatar that there is a place in the World Cup?" He denounced in his message.
A few days before the start of the World Cup, it is still unknown who will be in charge of performing at the opening gala, although it is known that Shakira, Rod Stewart and Dua Lipa are not among those chosen.