Europeans are much less likely than Americans to support the upcoming half-time show, according to recent polling by POLITICO.
Half-time shows are a tradition in the Super Bowl, America’s flagship sporting encounter, but FIFA is bringing the fête to the World Cup for the first time Sunday. The imminent performance will be headlined by music superstars Justin Bieber, Madonna, Shakira and K-pop band BTS. On Tuesday, the BBC reported that the show could extend the halftime break for up to 25 minutes, longer than the standard 15-minute half-time.
Just over half of U.K. respondents said they would oppose a half-time show, preferring that the U.S. and FIFA stick to soccer traditions. This was higher than other European countries polled, including Germany (48 percent), France (41 percent) and Spain (36 percent), but much higher than the mere 28 percent of Americans who were opposed.
Unsurprisingly, older respondents were consistently less supportive of the half-time show than young people. Just 18 percent of 65+ Germans and Brits supported a show, compared to 45 percent and 42 percent of 18-24 year olds, respectively.
FIFA chief Gianni Infantino said in May that the show will “touch the hearts of the people.”
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