‘Duties of responsible boyfriend’: Justin Trudeau ditches Canada’s World Cup match to watch US match with Katy Perry

LOS ANGELES: Former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is facing intense public backlash after skipping Canada's FIFA World Cup fixture to attend a United States match alongside his girlfriend, pop star Katy Perry.
Sports fans and social media users called out the former Prime Minister for prioritising a foreign team's game over his own country's opening match against Bosnia. Instead of supporting the Canadian national team, Trudeau was spotted in the stands at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles for the USA vs. Paraguay match.
The game coincided with the World Cup's opening ceremony, which featured a musical performance by Perry. The pop singer debuted her new song, 'Wonder,' alongside 10-year-old vocalist Tias Luca, before joining Trudeau in the spectator seats to watch the US squad play.
Attempting to defuse the mounting criticism, Trudeau took to X (formerly Twitter) to address the controversy. However, his defence only seemed to fuel further outrage online.
"Sometimes supportive boyfriend duties call." Trudeau wrote. " But you know who I’m rooting for to take the Cup."
The post failed to quiet critics, with many users quick to counter by asking whether playing the role of a supportive partner should ever take precedence over national pride on the world's biggest sporting stage.