Gims, about his presence in Qatar: “They would have offered it to me a week ago, the case would have been different”

The closing ceremony of the World Cup in Qatar will be able to count on the presence of a French music star: Gims, who announced last week that he will perform in Doha on December 18. A guest at France Inter this Wednesday, the interpreter of known as always justified his decision to join the World Cup, despite the many controversies surrounding the sporting event.

“This contract was offered to me a little over two years ago, in a special setting, the famous running of the bulls. We are deprived of liberty, we are not well, many people are in depression, the world is turned off, ”she said.

“We’re talking about the World Cup, singing in front of billions (of people). We’re on a special stage, a stage where you can’t say no.”

Critics World Cup

Nothing appeases the controversies that have surrounded this sporting event for months. Many voices are being raised to call for a boycott, in particular over the working conditions of immigrant workers employed in the construction of stadiums – 6,500 of them reportedly died on construction sites, according to the guardian – Human rights violated by the emirate, which punishes sexual relations between men with prison sentences, or even the ecological evaluation of the fact. So much so that Shakira, whose name was circulating to perform at the opening ceremony, would have finally declined the invitation.

“There are great artists who refused, there are mega artists who accepted,” continues Gims. “Today we have controversies about everything that is said around Qatar, things that are certainly true, that concern human rights. We have the impression that I accepted the thing the day before yesterday (…) It would have happened a week ago The case would have been totally different but it is not the case. It has been two years, it was during the confinement, there were no controversies at that time -he.

The singer, who will release a new album this Friday entitled Mozart’s Last Willconcludes by evoking its title arhaboone of the official anthems of the World Cup: “You have to listen to the sound, it speaks of unity, it says ‘come as you are’ and ‘love us as we are’. That is the message.”