Fans are giving Morgan Freeman a red card for this stunt.
The 85-year-old actor is facing the wrath of fans after he took part in the opening ceremony of the 2022 Qatar World Cup Sunday.
Freeman kicked off the tournament by narrating the opening segment, titled “The Calling,” at Al-Bayt Stadium in Doha, reported the Independent.
“We gather here as one big tribe and Earth is the tent we all live in,” the Oscar winner told the crowd.
The appearance by the “Driving Miss Daisy” actor sparked anger among fans due to the continuous allegations of human rights abuse in the Middle Eastern country.
As the opening ceremony approached, Qatar’s government took several steps to ban meat products and armbands supporting the LGBTQ “OneLove” campaign — according to FIFA, if players were seen sporting the band they would be given a yellow card.
Qatar also banned the consumption of beer two days before the matches were set to kick off.
Morgan Freeman is facing backlash after he took part in the opening ceremony of the World Cup Sunday.ODD ANDERSEN/AFP via Getty Images
The 85-year-old actor narrated the opening segment at Al-Bayt Stadium in Doha.Michael Regan – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images “For a man who played Nelson Mandela — who knew better than anyone the impact and importance of isolation on a country and its success on the ground to change that nation’s policy,” tweeted one angry fan. “It is so disappointing to see #MorganFreeman take the money and support an oppressive regime.”
“Morgan Freeman is really determined to go to the deepest level of hell huh,” tweeted another person.
“Qatar out there with Morgan Freeman spitting words like unity/inclusion in an effort to promote tourism, and then not practicing it,” chimed in a commenter. “For all the ‘their country their rules’ crowd out there, sure. But then they don’t get to lie bout what they’re really about just for a cash grab.”
“Morgan Freeman should be ashamed. How much they pay you? How much is your integrity? Never rise your voice to talk about of minorities. You just lost that privilege,” blasted another.
“For a man who played Nelson Mandela – who knew better than anyone the impact and importance of isolation on a country and its success on the ground to change that nation’s policy,” wrote one angry fan. “It is so disappointing to see … “Michael Steele/Getty Images
The appearance by the “Bruce Almighty” actor sparked anger among fans due to the continuous allegations of human rights abuse in the Middle Eastern country. Adam Davy/PA Images/Alamy Images Due to the controversy of Qatar hosting the World Cup, other celebrities — including Dua Lipa and Shakira — have either backed out of performing at the event or denied they ever considered doing so.
The Post has reached out to Freeman for comment.
