Entertainment
FC Basel Soccer Club Cancels Kanye West Concert Over ‘Values’
Kanye West was denied the chance to perform at FC Basel soccer team’s stadium in Switzerland.
“FCB received an enquiry and considered it,” a spokesperson for the team told Reuters on Saturday, April 18. “However, after thorough review, we have decided not to proceed with the project, as we cannot, in accordance with our values, provide a platform for the artist in question within this context.”
FC Basel oversees any performances held at the team’s stadium at St. Jakob-Park. According to Swiss newspapers, the team received a request from West, 48, to headline a concert in June.
West has not publicly addressed the canceled Switzerland show. Us Weekly has reached out for comment.
Kanye West has apologized for his antisemitic behavior, but one group dedicated to combating bigotry isn’t letting the rapper get off that easily. “Ye’s apology to the Jewish people is long overdue and doesn’t automatically undo his long history of antisemitism — the antisemitic ‘Heil Hitler’ song he created, the hundreds of tweets, the swastikas […]
Earlier this month, the U.K.’s Wireless Festival barred the rapper from performing at the summer concert series over his past antisemitic remarks. The entire festival has since been canceled.
“The Home Office has withdrawn Ye’s ETA, denying him entry into the United Kingdom,” a rep for the event wrote in an April 7 statement. “As a result, Wireless Festival is canceled and refunds will be issued to all ticket holders. As with every Wireless Festival, multiple stakeholders were consulted in advance of booking Ye and no concerns were highlighted at the time.”
The statement continued, “Antisemitism in all its forms is abhorrent, and we recognize the real and personal impact these issues have had. As Ye said today, he acknowledges that words alone are not enough, and in spite of this still hopes to be given the opportunity to begin a conversation with the Jewish community in the U.K.”
In light of Wireless canceling the show, West offered to “meet and listen” with members of the Jewish community in London.
“I’ve been following the conversation around Wireless and want to address it directly,” the artist said in a statement. “My only goal is to come to London and present a show of change, bringing unity, peace and love through my music.”
After addressing his mental health crisis, Kanye West gave a rare interview where he again apologized for his problematic behavior — but there were certain questions he refused to answer. West, 48, agreed to an email interview with Vanity Fair where he spoke about his bipolar diagnosis and past antisemitic comments, saying, “When you’re manic, […]
West was previously suspended from Instagram in 2022 after making a series of derogatory and false comments about individuals who practice Judaism. He issued a public apology earlier this year.
“In early 2025, I fell into a four-month long manic episode of psychotic, paranoid and impulsive behavior that destroyed my life,” West wrote in an open letter published by the Wall Street Journal in January, blaming his behavior on his bipolar disorder. “One of the difficult aspects of having bipolar type-1 are the disconnected moments — many of which I still cannot recall — that led to poor judgment and reckless behavior that oftentimes feels like an out-of-body-experience.”
He concluded, “I regret and am deeply mortified by my actions in that state, and am committed to accountability, treatment, and meaningful change. It does not excuse what I did though. I am not a Nazi or an antisemite. I love Jewish people.”
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