The Cure frontman Robert Smith has expanded on his criticism of the upcoming FIFA World Cup final halftime show.
The first-ever official World Cup final halftime show will take place at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey this Sunday (July 19), with Madonna, Justin Bieber, Shakira and BTS all set to perform.
Coldplay’s Chris Martin is curating the 11-minute set, which is supporting the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund – an initiative aiming to raise $100million to expand access to education and football for children worldwide.
Yesterday (Thursday July 16), Smith posted a typically blunt response to the major slot on The Cure’s official Instagram page. He took aim at FIFA President Gianni Infantino, in particular.
The frontman called out how Infantino had described the show as a “groundbreaking spectacle” that would “celebrate football, music and our shared values, ensuring a legacy that transcends the final whistle”.
Venting his frustrations at this, Smith signed off with: “AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH… #Breadandcircuses #MUGWANK #pleasejustfuckoff.”
The singer has since elaborated on his stance in another post. “Sigh,” Smith began, before writing in his signature all-caps style.
“For those of us not quite getting it: the point is not really about who is curating or performing, it is about the #mugwank ideas of a football World Cup final half time show,” he wrote.
“If you now understand my ‘aaaaaaagh!’ a bit better, but still don’t agree, please adjust your red cap, your ‘I 
