Joe Lycett has stated that if David Beckham does not cancel his sponsorship arrangement with the Qatar World Cup, he will shred £10,000 of his own money. The comedian assured supporters that if David cancels his sponsorship arrangement within the next week, he would be willing to donate the money to charity.
If the footballer does not agree to Joe’s demands, he will shred the money in a live stream on Sunday, November 20, before the tournament begins. Despite the country’s ban on same-sex unions and reservations about its human rights record, David will earn roughly £10 million from his World Cup sponsorship contract. As a result, David has been heavily chastised for his support for the country, and Joe has stated that he will also lose his role as a “gay icon,” according to The Echo.
“This is a message to David Beckham. I consider you, along with Kim Woodburn and Monty Don, to be a gay icon. You were the first premiership footballer to do shoots with gay magazines like Attitude, to speak openly about your gay fans, and you married a Spice Girl which is the gayest thing a human being can do.
“But now it’s 2022 and you’ve signed a reported £10 million deal with Qatar to be their ambassador during the FIFA World Cup. Qatar was voted as one of the worst places in the world to be gay – homosexuality is illegal, punishable by imprisonment, and if you’re Muslim, possibly even death.
“You have always talked about the power of football as a force for good. This suggests to me you have never seen West Brom. But generally, I agree – so with that in mind, I’m giving you a choice. If you end your relationship with Qatar I will donate ten grand of my own money (that’s a grand for every million you’re reportedly getting) to charities that support queer people in football.
He added: “However if you do not I will throw the money into a shredder at midday next Sunday, just before the opening ceremony of the World Cup and stream it right here. Not just the money, but also your status as a gay icon will be shredded.
“Also you’ll be forcing me to commit what might be a crime. The choice is yours. I look forward to hearing from you.” Alongside the warning, Joe tweeted a link to a website, Benders Like Beckham, where he reiterates the threat in text form. At the top of the page is a countdown to the moment David has to make his response.
Last week, An ambassador for the World Cup in Qatar described homosexuality as “damage in the mind”. Former Qatari footballer Khalid Salman’s comments came just two weeks before the tournament begins in the Gulf state.
Salman told a German public broadcaster that being gay is “haram”, or forbidden in Arabic, and that he has a problem with children seeing gay people. Excerpts of the television interview were shown on Monday night on ZDF’s news programme Heute Journal.
Speaking in English, he said: “During the World Cup, many things will come here to the country. Let’s talk about gays.
“The most important thing is, everybody will accept that they come here. But they will have to accept our rules.” The interview was cut short by a press officer of the World Cup organising committee, according to ZDF.
