Morgan Freeman has been called a “sellout” with “blood on his hands” after accepting money from Qatar to perform at the 2022 World Cup opening ceremony on Sunday, November 20.
Twelve years after flubbing his lines in an effort to support the USA’s bid to host the 2022 event, he makes an unexpected cameo in Doha.
On social media, supporters referred to him as a “Qatari sleeper agent,” recalling his infamous speech from 2010 when he badly botched his speech and told the audience: ‘I’m sorry, I missed a page’.
The Calling, the opening portion of the 2022 World Cup opening ceremony, was narrated by Freeman, who informed viewers that: ‘We all gather here in one big tribe’.
Social media users had mixed feelings about the 85-year-old Oscar-winning actor, with one claiming that seeing the American in the stadium was a “slap in the face.”
Money talks, a third said, and one said: ‘Sportswashing runs deep.’
In addition to receiving a lot of criticism for his role in the preparation for the World Cup in Qatar, David Beckham was also seen inside the stadium taking in the action.
During the ceremony, which included performances of “Leta’Arafo (To Know One Another),” “Chants of Nations,” a World Cup Medley, a display of the official mascots, and Jung Kook of the South Korean boy band BTS, empty seats could be spotted in the Al Bayt Stadium.
The most unexpected of all, though, was perhaps Freeman’s participation, considering his prior goals of aiding the USA in obtaining the hosting rights for the 2022 World Cup.
He traveled to Zurich in 2010 as a member of the US bid team, along with others like former President Bill Clinton, to deliver a speech in an effort to win votes for his nation. Unfortunately, his gaffe left the audience with a bad taste in their mouths.
Freeman’s visit in Qatar, according to Men in Blazers host Roger Bennett, was “epic trolling on a worldwide scale.”
How much Freeman was paid to perform his part in the opening ceremony is still unknown.
Who Is Morgan Freeman?
An American actor, director, and narrator by the name of Morgan Freeman was born on June 1, 1937.
He is well-known for both his varied appearances in many different cinema genres and his recognizable deep voice.
He has won numerous honors throughout the course of a career spanning more than five decades, including an Academy Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and a Golden Globe Award.
Freeman, who was born in Memphis, Tennessee, was raised in Mississippi, where he started performing in school productions.
In his early career, he performed in theater performances while studying theatre arts in Los Angeles.
He became well-known in the 1970s thanks to his part in the kid’s TV show The Electric Company.
Then Freeman performed in the Shakespearean dramas Julius Caesar and Coriolanus, the former of which won him an Obie Award.
His breakthrough performance as a hustler in Street Smart (1987) garnered him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor.
Glory (1989), Lean on Me (1989), and the comedy-drama Driving Miss Daisy (1989), the latter of which earned him his first Academy Award nomination for Best Actor, helped him become an even bigger star.
Freeman and Ghanim Al-Muftah gave a performance at the 2022 FIFA World Cup opening ceremony in Qatar on November 20, 2022.
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