Robert Smith jokes about rumours of The Cure performing at Qatar World Cup: “Hate to disappoint everyone”

14 November, 2022

The Cure

Robert Smith is the latest artist to confirm that he will not be performing at the FIFA World Cup 2022 opening ceremony in Qatar, joking that he hates to “disappoint” The Cure fans.

In a tongue-in-cheek tweet addressing apparent recent speculation, The Cure singer and guitarist wrote: “HATE TO DISAPPOINT EVERYONE, BUT DESPITE THE RUMOURS WE WILL NOT BE HEADLINING THE WORLD CUP OPENING CEREMONY #breadandcircuses.”

In a follow-up tweet, Smith joked: “AND I HAVE ALSO INFORMED GARETH SOUTHGATE I AM UNAVAILABLE FOR SELECTION.”

He added: “AND IF YOU’RE INTERESTED, PSYCHIC BOB PREDICTS NO-ONE WILL WIN BUT QATAR.”

Smith’s tweets come after Dua Lipa denied involvement with the World Cup. She also called on Qatar to fulfill its human rights pledges.

In a statement posted on her Instagram, Lipa said: “There is currently a lot of speculation that I will be performing at the opening ceremony of the world cup in Qatar. I will not be performing and nor have I ever been involved in any negotiations to perform. I will be cheering England on from afar.”

She went on to say: “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.”

It was also revealed this week that Rod Stewart turned down almost £1million to perform at the World Cup, saying that it’s “not right”.

Despite the controversy, England manager Gareth Southgate promised that his players will speak out about human rights abuses during the tournament. “We have always spoken about issues we think should be talked about, particularly the ones we feel we can affect,” he said.

“Regarding the LGBT community, we stand for inclusivity and we are very, very strong on that. We think that is important in terms of all our supporters.”

England
England manager Gareth Southgate speaks during the World Cup Qatar 2022 Squad Announcement on November 10, 2022. Credit: Barrington Coombs/Getty Images.

Elsewhere, Paul Weller recently launched a scathing personal attack on Smith, calling him a “fucking fat cunt”.

Smith’s bandmate Roger O’Donnell responded to the dig last week, writing on Twitter: “I’ve always thought, as Spike Milligan said, people who live in glass houses should pull the blinds down before removing their trousers… Mr Weller?”

Next week, Smith will host a listening party to celebrate the 30th anniversary of The Cure’s ‘Wish‘.

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