Comedian Joe Lycett has issued an ultimatum to former Manchester United and England star David Beckham over his support for Qatar’s hosting of the 2022 World Cup.
Beckham has been a paid ambassador for the gulf state, despite its dire record on LGBTQ+ rights, with Lycett pointing out that it is one of the worst places in the world to be gay.
Watch the comedian’s video below as he threatens to throw £10,000 into a shredder unless Beckham withdraws his support for Qatar before the opening ceremony of the World Cup, urging the former footballer to preserve his reputation as a gay icon…
https://t.co/FqoC3hSFM8 ? pic.twitter.com/EPLVNwmnvV
— Joe Lycett (@joelycett) November 13, 2022
Beckham has previously been an advocate for LGBTQ+ rights, but it’s hard to square that with his backing of Qatar as the host nation for this year’s World Cup, so it will be interesting to see how the 47-year-old responds to Lycett’s message here.
Beckham has also been criticised by an England LGBTQ+ fan group, with Di Cunningham, co-founder of Three Lions Pride, saying they have been “so disappointed” to see the former England captain promoting the competition.
She said: “One of the difficulties we’re having is people taking the money in order to promote Qatar, to promote the World Cup.
“We’re just so disappointed because the LGBTQ+ community has had David Beckham on a pedestal as a great ally, and then it turns out he’s an ambassador for this World Cup and that’s incredibly disappointing. So I hope the message has got through that people will be criticised for that.”