Dua Lipa: Singer denies she is performing at Qatar World Cup

Dua Lipa has denied reports she volition execute astatine the Fifa World Cup opening ceremonial successful Qatar.

The vocalist said she volition "look guardant to visiting Qatar erstwhile it has fulfilled each the quality rights pledges it made" erstwhile it became host.

Qatar has been criticised for its stance connected same-sex relationships, its quality rights grounds and its attraction of migrant workers.

Lipa posted an Instagram communicative connected Sunday, which read: "There is presently a batch of speculation that I volition beryllium performing astatine the opening ceremonial of the satellite cupful successful Qatar.

"I volition not beryllium performing and nor person I ever been progressive successful immoderate dialog to perform.

"I volition beryllium cheering England connected from afar... One love, Dua."

Lipa, calved successful London to Kosovar-Albanian parents, is not the archetypal large sanction to marque a constituent of not playing successful Qatar.

Sir Rod Stewart precocious revealed helium turned down the opportunity.

"I was really offered a batch of money, implicit $1m, to play determination 15 months ago. I turned it down. It's not close to go," helium told the Sunday Times.

US popular radical Black Eyed Peas and Colombian vocalist J Balvin, however, are acceptable to execute astatine events successful Qatar during the tournament.

Comedian Joe Lycett, meanwhile, has issued an ultimatum to Qatar World Cup ambassador David Beckham.

Lycett has promised to donate £10,000 of his ain wealth to charity, if the erstwhile footballer ends his reported multimillion-pound woody with Qatar.

Homosexuality is amerciable successful the country, wherever same-sex relationships tin beryllium punishable by the decease sentence.

If the erstwhile footballer refuses, past Lycett has threatened to shred the £10,000 - conscionable earlier the World Cup opening ceremony.

Lycett says Beckham's "status arsenic a cheery icon" volition besides beryllium shredded if helium doesn't extremity his narration with Qatar.

The BBC has contacted David Beckham for comment, and his absorption responded: "We aren't commenting astatine this time."

Beckham has been urged to talk out connected the criminalisation of same-sex relations successful Qatar.

Speaking to the BBC past year, a root adjacent to Beckham said: "Of people David wanted to guarantee that helium was informed astir the facts and immoderate concerns that helium mightiness person for his cheery friends, shot supporters and fans.

"Some of the laws and beliefs successful the portion disagree to his ain but the Qataris person ever said that everyone volition beryllium harmless and invited astatine the World Cup successful 2022 and helium believes that committedness is sincere and has seen grounds of proactive engagement with the planetary LBGTQ assemblage by the World Cup organisers."

Qatar World Cup ambassador Khalid Salman made headlines past week aft it emerged helium had referred to homosexuality arsenic "damage successful the mind".

Human Rights Watch called the erstwhile Qatar international's comments "harmful and unacceptable".

Rasha Younes, LGBT rights elder researcher astatine Human Rights Watch, said: "The nonaccomplishment of the Qatari authorities to antagonistic this mendacious accusation has a important interaction connected the lives of LGBT residents of Qatar, ranging from fuelling favoritism and unit against them to justifying subjecting them to state-sponsored conversion practices."

Organisers person said no-one coming to ticker the tourney volition beryllium discriminated against.

Beckham's erstwhile England and Manchester United teammate Gary Neville precocious appeared arsenic a impermanent presenter of Have I Got News For You, and was questioned by squad skipper Ian Hislop implicit his determination to question to Qatar to commentate connected the World Cup.

"My presumption ever has been that you either item the issues and challenges successful these countries and talk astir them, oregon you don't accidental thing and you enactment backmost location and don't go," said Neville "I've ever said we should situation them."

To which Hislop replied: "There's different enactment - you enactment astatine location and item the abuses.

"You don't person to spell and instrumentality the Qatari's money. I'm not trying to beryllium tiresome, but it is conscionable not a precise bully defence."