Robbie Williams has said it would be "hypocritical" of him not to perform at the World Cup in Qatar, "because of the places that I do go to."
This year's host nation is widely criticised for its stance on homosexuality, treatment of women, and workers' and migrants' rights. The former Take That member is scheduled to perform at Doha Golf Club on December 8.
Speaking in an interview with Italian magazine Il Venerdi, the singer said that "anybody leaving messages saying ‘no to Qatar’ are doing so on Chinese technology."
"You get this microscope that goes ‘okay, these are the baddies, and we need to rally against them."
"I think that the hypocrisy there is that if we take that case in this place, we need to apply that unilaterally to the world. Then if we apply that unilaterally to the world, nobody can go anywhere."
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"I also think that change will take a long time," he said.
"What we’re saying is: ‘You behave like us, or we will annex you from society. Behave like us, because we’ve got it right’.
"I don’t condone any abuses of human rights anywhere," Williams continued. "
But, that being said, if we’re not condoning human rights abuses anywhere, then it would be the shortest tour the world has ever known: I wouldn’t even be able to perform in my own kitchen."
We struggle to imagine what Robbie is doing in his kitchen that would warrant an investigation from the Human Rights Council, but we'd rather not ask.
Williams, if you'll remember, has form in performing for large amounts of money in World Cups held by countries with awful human rights records. The 48-year-old took to the stage for the opening ceremony of the 2018 World Cup held in Russia.
Other musicians like Dua Lipa and Rod Stewart have been open about their refusal to perform at the World Cup due to the human rights record of this year's hosts.
Last week, Dua Lipa said in a social media post that she will "look forward to visiting Qatar when it has fulfilled all the human rights pledges it made" when it became the tournament’s host.
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