LONDON — The BBC's decision to not air the opening ceremony of the World Cup live during main coverage on Sunday has brought criticism from many sports fans.

FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 opening ceremony was held at Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor, Qatar, where African American movie star Morgan Freeman was among the guests, with Korean K-pop star Jungkook performing a mini-concert.

The BBC relegated the ceremony to the "Red Button" service and online, however, BBC One decided not to air the ceremony live but rather mentioned alleged accusations against Qatar.

"It’s the most controversial World Cup in history and a ball hasn’t even been kicked," said Lineker, a former England football captain who was among the hosts during the broadcaster's World Cup program.

Lineker's comment was shared by many, reminding a recent remark by FIFA President Gianni Infantino, defending Qatar from what he called Western "hypocrisy" amid criticism of the Gulf country’s hosting of World Cup 2022.

"Europe should stop the criticism and focus on improving its migrants' conditions. ... What we Europeans have been doing for the last 3,000 years, we should be apologizing for the next 3,000 years before starting to give moral lessons," he said on Saturday.

Meanwhile, users also accused the BBC of "double standard" on social media asking why the broadcaster did not have the same approach when the 2022 Winter Olympics took place in China and the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

Users also shared Daily Mirror's story -- titled England's £115 ($136) Qatar World Cup shirts made by Thai factory workers paid just £1 an hour -- in response to human rights allegations towards Qatar. — Agencies