Star singer Robbie Williams has faced criticism after it was announced he would be performing in Qatar for the FIFA World Cup.
The World Cup has been surrounded by controversy ever since Qatar was picked as the host nation for the 2022 edition.
The country’s treatment of migrant workers and its laws against the LGBTQIA+ community have been the topic of discussion for quite some time now.
Advert
With the tournament just under a month away, it was announced that the 48-year-old would be joining Maroon 5 and Post Malone to play at the Doha Gold Club on December 8.
The artists would also be playing gigs that coincide with the World Cup.
The ‘Angels’ singer performed at the opening ceremony of the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
Advert
However, the recent news that he’d be returning for the 2022 edition has left a sour taste in many of his fan’s mouths.
Fans took to the Robbie Williams Fanfest page to express their disappointment with the singer for choosing to go to Qatar.
One fan wrote: “Sorry but the Qatar World Cup is wrong on many levels and I am disappointed that Robbie feels it is acceptable to so blatantly support it.”
Another said: “I love him but this is disappointing.”
Advert
A third commented: 'Hope that's not true”
With another adding: 'That's sad, really sad.'
One fan even proposed a protest against Robbie’s decision in order to force his hand and change his mind.
They asked: “How do fans make an official protest? For him to be pressured by his fans to then be persuaded to then choose not to appear would be a massive statement on behalf of all those human beings who are affected by both the construction regime there and also their attitudes in respect of other things.”
SPORTbible has reached out to representatives of Robbie Williams for comment.
Advert
There have been concerns by many for the safety of openly-gay footballers and fans who were to attend the World Cup in Qatar.
Josh Cavallo, who made history earlier this year by becoming the only current male professional footballer to come out as gay, expressed his uneasiness at the situation.
"I know personally, if I go there, I will be protected because I'm in the public eye," Cavallo told CNN's Amanda Davies.
"But it's not me that I'm worried about. It's those ones that are messaging me. It's those people that aren't in the public eye that are scared to even be themselves and walk the streets."
Advert
"To see that we're heading to a country that's criminalising people like myself... It's quite concerning," added Cavallo.
In response to Cavallo's fears at the time, Nasser Al Khater, the chief executive of the tournament's organising committee, told CNN: "On the contrary, we welcome him here in the state of Qatar, we welcome him to come and see even prior to the World Cup... Nobody feels threatened here, nobody feels unsafe."
Featured Image Credit: Alizada Studios / Alamy. Alan Smith / Alamy.Topics: FIFA, Football World Cup, Qatar