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The first ever World Cup final halftime show will take place at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on Sunday.
The Super Bowl-style performance, curated by Coldplay’s Chris Martin, will feature the likes of Madonna, Shakira, BTS and Justin Bieber, as well as appearances by Tom Cruise, Jennifer Hudson and Robbie Williams.
Jarring Americanization of football for some; bonus gig for others.
One artist who doesn’t seem too pleased about it is The Cure’s Robert Smith, who shared his thoughts on The Cure’s official Instagram page – taking aim at FIFA president Gianni Infantino with a new nickname…
“The half-time show, which has been curated by Coldplay’s Chris Martin, will feature Madonna, Justin Bieber, Shakira and the K-pop boyband BTS,” the caption read. “Fifa’s president, Gianni Infantosser, has described the half-time show as ‘groundbreaking spectacle’ that will ‘celebrate football, music and our shared values, ensuring a legacy that transcends the final whistle’.”
The caption concluded: “AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH… #Breadandcircuses #MUGWANK #pleasejustfuckoff.”
Check out the post below:
“Bread and circuses” (from the Latin “panem et circenses”) is a metonymic phrase attributed to Roman poet Juvenal and refers to superficial appeasement. In a political context, it means the generation of public approval through superficial means, a distraction for the “common people” that is meant to divert attention from the sins of the powerful.
The post also included a photograph that appears to be NASA’s famous ‘Pale Blue Dot’ photograph, taken by Voyager 1 in 1990.
The image, taken from around 3.7billion miles away, has long been used as an important reminder of humanity’s small place in the universe.
The Wold Cup final halftime show will be the first of its kind and FIFA has said the show will support the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund, which aims to raise money to help expand access to education and football for children around the world.
The World Cup final takes place on Sunday 19 July, with Spain facing off against Argentina.