Ed Sheeran had to leave Portman Road at half-time on Ipswich Town's return to the Premier League against Liverpool and revealed why before the match. 

His revelation came just two days after the singer, 33, bought a minority stake in the club he has loved since childhood. 

Sheeran started sponsoring the Tractor Boys when they were in League One and has acquired a passive 1.4 per cent stake, meaning he will not join the board. 

Yet he will not get to see the climactic stages of their match against the Reds after a 22-year wait because another duty calls. 

That's because he will be performing at a concert in Belgrade, Serbia, tonight for his ‘+ - = ÷ x’ Mathematics Tour.

Ed Sheeran had to leave behind Ipswich's season opener against Liverpool due to another task

'I have to leave here at half-time because I'm playing in Serbia tonight. We almost couldn't even come to the game but we had to,' he told TNT Sports ahead of the match.

It will be the first time that Sheeran has performed in Serbia. 

He added: 'I just hope Ipswich score first because this place will explode! I hope we win 1-0 and it's scrappy. 

'I'm really excited. Driving through town and seeing lots of people in Liverpool shirts and remembering that we're in the Prem.

'Being able to watch world-class football is great. To go from League One to the Championship to here, we're going to see the difference in everything.

'People like success stories like this. it is a grassroots club and it just feels like it's lifted up the town. Ipswich has gone through some tough years, it's great for the area and the county.

'I started sponsoring them in League One and that carried on into the Championship. When it got to the Premier League, obviously the price of sponsorship is crazy. I said I'd do one season in the Prem and then Mark (Ashton) basically invited me to invest as a natural progression from being a sponsor. 

'I'm not signing players, it's more of just a gesture but it feels nice to involved in the club.'