World Cup 2014 : Jennifer Lopez drops out of opening ceremony performance

Jennifer Lopez and Pitbull in Fort Lauderdale during their filming of the music video for the song 'We Are One' which is the theme for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil

Jennifer Lopez won't be there to perform the World Cup's official song alongside fellow artists Pitbull and Claudia Leitte during the tournament's opening ceremony in Brazil, FIFA officials said on Sunday.

Football's governing body said Lopez cannot perform at Thursday's event as earlier planned because of unspecified 'production issues.'

The singer's representatives didn't explain the reason why she wouldn't be joining the act.They only confirmed the announcement in an emailed response, saying 'regretfully Jennifer Lopez will not be attending this year's World Cup opening ceremonies.'

FIFA said in a news release that Cuban-American rapper Pitbull and Brazilian singer Claudia Leitte will sing the official tune We Are One before Brazil take on Croatia at Thursday's opening game in Sao Paulo.

The song has been a let down for many Brazilians, who complain that it sounds too generic for the nation's Bossa Nova-crazed audiences and that it features foreign musicians singing mostly in English and Spanish. Leitte sings only a few seconds at the end of the song in her native Portuguese.

Four years ago, Shakira performed “Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)” at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa which went on to become a worldwide hit