Emails show Dua Lipa's father tried to get her to play at World Cup

REVEALED: Did Dua Lipa’s father try to get his daughter to play at the World Cup without her knowledge? Emails show he offered to ‘support’ Qatar’s Supreme Committee – after pro-LGBTQ star shut down speculation she would perform

• Dua Lipa’s father contacted Qatar over the 2022 World Cup opening ceremony
• Dukagjin Lipa, who manages his daughter, said he could help organise the event
• Emails show him bragging about her success and his contacts to other artists
• He says Dua, who has spoken out against Qatar, didn’t know about his approach 

Emails have revealed Dua Lipa’s father contacted World Cup officials and put himself forward to help organise the tournament’s opening ceremony.

In messages seen by the Mail on Sunday, Dukagjin Lipa, who runs communications agency Republika and represents his daughter, offered to liaise between organisers and musicians.

Dua Lipa is not thought to have been aware of the interactions.  

The documents detail how the singer’s Kosovo-born father, known as Dugi, first approached Qatar’s World Cup organising body, the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy, in 2020.

When pop queen Dua Lipa shut down rumours that she was to perform in Qatar, her duet partner and LGBT champion Sir Elton John no doubt applauded. Yet emails reveal her manager father, Dukagjin Lipa, had been negotiating with the Qataris for two years to get the chart-topping star to play at the World Cup

Dua Lipa is managed by her father, who contacted officials organising the World Cup to offer his services. Pictured: Dua Lipa with her father Dukagjin Lipa

An email Dukagjin Lipa sent to World Cup officials in Qatar

In the messages, which take place over the course of nearly two years, the 53-year-old says ‘I represent my daughter’ and boasts about the success of one of her live stream events.

He also talks about his connections with other chart-topping artists such as Calvin Harris, Miley Cyrus, Shawn Mendez and Camila Cabello.

Dua Lipa would later say she would refuse to play at the opening ceremony due to Qatar’s human rights record, while Mr Lipa told the Mail on Sunday she was not aware of his contact with the organisers. 

In his initial email on March 9, 2020, he wrote: ‘I represent my daughter, the artist Dua Lipa, and I am keen to discuss with the Supreme Committee plans for artist performances for Qatar World Cup 2022.’

In January 2021, he wrote: ‘I just wanted to follow up on my previous email and was wondering whether it would be possible for us to discuss any opportunity arising where we can be of help?

‘We recently streamed a live performance of tracks from Dua’s new album as well as appearances by other artists which had 5 million viewers, which was the largest ever globally for a live-stream event.’ A committee member replied: ‘It is fantastic to hear from you and know that with Dua being put forward it is backed by the knowledge that she is also interested.’

In one email to World Cup officials in Qatar, Dukagjin Lipa says he represents ‘my daughter the artist Dua Lipa and I am ken to discuss with the Supreme Committe plans for artist performances’

In one of the messages Mr Lipa talks about the success of a recent live stream involving his daughter, saying it had 5million viewers – ‘the largest ever globally for a live stream event’

In another email Mr Lipa says he was approached ‘with a specific request for Dua Lipa and the opening ceremony’. Mr Lipa told the Mail on Sunday his daughter was not aware of his contact with the World Cup organisers and he told them his daughter ‘would NOT be involved’

In a statement, Dugi said: ‘In 2020 I had several email exchanges with the Qatari World Cup marketing team in my personal capacity as a festival organiser.

Dua was not involved or aware of those exchanges or any other conversations. When I introduced myself, I gave them my full background which included my representation of Dua. But I clarified that I was not speaking to them with her in mind and made that very clear when they asked me whether my enquiries were about Dua.

This was in early 2021, at a time when Qatar had made several pledges (since winning the World Cup contract) to reform their labour laws and make amends to their human rights record. As the conversation went on and the World Cup got closer, it became very clear that these pledges were not going to be honoured so I stopped talking to them. 

‘Since then I have been approached by several people connected with the Qatar World Cup to who I made very clear that Dua would NOT be involved with them.’

The hosts of the tournament have come under criticism for their treatment of LBGT people. Pictured: England captain Harry Kane wearing a rainbow armband in a training session

The documents detail how the singer’s Kosovo-born father, known as Dugi, first approached Qatar’s World Cup organising body, the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy, in 2020

By April that year, Mr Lipa expressed his anxiety about the negotiations, saying: ‘I was approached… with a specific request for Dua Lipa and the opening ceremony and I wanted to touch base with you regarding this and making sure that we are not talking to the wrong person.’

The revelations come after London-born Dua Lipa’s recent statement, released to her 87 million followers on Instagram, claiming that a performance at the Qatar tournament was never on the cards.

Last month the 27-year-old singer 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 negotiation to perform.’

Her comments were applauded by human rights campaigners, after controversy surrounded the football tournament over Qatar’s treatment of migrant workers and criminalisation of same-sex relationships. In an interview last week with Variety, the Cold Heart singer – who recently duetted with Sir Elton on stage in Los Angeles – said the Qatar event ‘goes against [her] beliefs’.

Last night her father said: ‘In 2020 I had several email exchanges with the Qatari World Cup marketing team in my personal capacity as a festival organiser.

‘Dua was not involved or aware of those exchanges or any other conversations. When I introduced myself, I gave them my full background which included my representation of Dua. But I clarified that I was not speaking to them with her in mind and made that very clear when they asked me whether my enquiries were about Dua.

‘This was in early 2021, at a time when Qatar had made several pledges (since winning the World Cup contract) to reform their labour laws and make amends to their human rights record. As the conversation went on and the World Cup got closer, it became very clear that these pledges were not going to be honoured so I stopped talking to them. Since then I have been approached by several people connected with the Qatar World Cup to whom I made very clear that Dua would NOT be involved.’

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