No ‘Party like a Russian’ – Robbie

BRITISH pop star Robbie Williams, who will be performing at the World Cup opening ceremony in Moscow on Thursday, said he would not be performing his hit song Party Like A Russian.

He said he would perform “a medley, a smorgasbord of my greatest hits” alongside Russian soprano Aida Garifullina.

“It’s about me doing my biggest hits that are the best known.”

In the 2016 track, he sings “it takes a certain kind of man with a certain reputation, to alleviate the cash from a whole entire nation.”

Pro-Kremlin media outlets were critical, suggesting Williams could be snubbed by Russian event organisers because of the song.

In response, Williams wrote on Twitter at the time that “this song is definitely not about Mr Putin.”

“[It ] was a big hit for me, it was like my biggest hit here in Russia.

“I didn’t mean any disrespect by it at all. It’s more of a Monty Pythonesque kind of humour. I’m not mocking anybody. It’s just a pop record.” – Reuters