The Swiss football club FC Basel announced on Saturday the cancellation of the concert by Kanye West (now Ye), making Switzerland the fourth European country to suspend his tour stop amid controversy over antisemitic comments he made in the past and for which he recently apologized. FC Basel, responsible for concerts and events held at their St. Jakob-Park stadium, informed Reuters that after a thorough review of the request for West to perform, they have decided not to proceed with the performance.
"FCB received a request and considered it. However, after a detailed analysis, we have decided not to continue with the project, as we cannot, according to our values, offer a platform to the artist in question in this context," a club spokesperson stated. The concert was scheduled for June.
Hours earlier, a Polish stadium announced that they will also cancel the concert by Kanye West shortly after the artist himself canceled his show in Marseille in response to threats from the French Interior Minister, Laurent Nuñez, who had hinted at banning his entry into the country. Earlier this month, the United Kingdom effectively banned the artist from entering the country to perform at a festival.
Doubts grow about his return to Spain
The American artist and producer Kanye West (now Ye), one of the most influential figures in contemporary music, is set to return to Spain almost 20 years after his last visit with a unique concert scheduled for July 30 at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano venue in the capital.
Winner of 24 Grammy Awards (one of the most awarded artists in the history of these accolades) and the creator of some of the most influential hip-hop and contemporary music albums, Kanye Ye has redefined the genre's boundaries throughout his career, becoming an artistic reference that transcends music and connects with culture, fashion, and art, with over 160 million records sold worldwide during his career.
His return comes after the success of his two consecutive concerts with over 70,000 tickets sold out in a few hours at La Monumental in Mexico, demonstrating that he remains one of the most globally appealing artists.
The event is organized by Vibra Music, a Spanish promoter that continues to establish itself internationally by supporting major productions and top-tier artists, the Mexican promoter 515 Entertainment, born with a disruptive vision as a 100% independent producer and promoter to challenge the industry's status quo; and Roller Group, a promoter with extensive experience in organizing large events.
So far, none of the promoters or spokespersons from the Metropolitano stadium or the government have commented on a possible ban on the controversial rapper, despite the four accumulated cancellations posing a serious threat to his European tour.
"I am not a Nazi or antisemitic. I love the Jewish people"
Kanye West, now known as Ye, apologized in January for his behavior, attributing it to untreated bipolar disorder caused by a car accident, and renounced his previous expressions of admiration for Adolf Hitler.
In 2023, Kanye West gave an interview dressed in attire similar to that worn by the Ku Klux Klan, released a track called Heil Hitler, and made various antisemitic speeches. However, last year he began to regret his actions and sought ways to rectify his mistakes.
Almost a year ago, on April 26, 2025, the rapper took out a page in the Wall Street Journal and published a letter titled To all those I have hurt in which he apologized to those he had insulted and justified his actions with an event that supposedly changed his life and caused bipolar disorder.
"25 years ago, I had a car accident that fractured my jaw and caused an injury to the right frontal lobe of my brain. At that time, the focus was on the visible damage. But the deeper injury, inside my skull, went unnoticed," he claimed. "For many, it is easy to joke or laugh about it, when in reality, it is a very serious and debilitating illness, which can be fatal. According to the WHO and the University of Cambridge, people with bipolar disorder have a reduced life expectancy of 10 to 15 years and a mortality rate from all causes two to three times higher than the general population."
"I deeply regret and am ashamed of my actions, although this is not an excuse for what I did. I am not a Nazi or antisemitic. I love the Jewish people," he concluded in his writing.