Brian Laudrup has been let go from a punditry role on Danish TV after appearing in an advert for the Dubai tourism board, with the Rangers and Denmark legend hitting back at criticism that he is greedy.
The 53-year-old, a European Championship winner in 1992, was meant to be part of broadcaster TV2’s team for November’s tournament but they announced that he was no longer “compatible” with them because of “the campaign he is participating in right now.” It comes amid a significant level of debate in Denmark over whether the country should pull out of the tournament due to human rights concerns.
Denmark last week confirmed that their captain would join several other UEFA nations - England, Netherlands, Belgium, France, Germany, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and Wales - by wearing an armband with ‘One Love’ on it to promote equality during the tournament.
In the Visit Dubai advert Laudrup discusses his country's chances at the World Cup and that has been viewed by TV2 as an endorsement of the tournament.
In a statement TV2 said: "Together with Brian Laudrup, we have agreed to stop the collaboration because it is not compatible with the campaign he is participating in right now. We would like to thank Brian for his insight and contribution to the men's national team matches on TV2."
But Laudrup was quick to defend himself after the announcement. He said: "You could say I've become a face for Dubai, but for me it was about football. You are welcome to call me naive and criticise my judgement. But don't call me greedy and immoral, that's crossing the line."
Meanwhile, former Crystal Palace and Portsmouth player Craig Foster has said he will donate his TV appearance money to a compensation fund for migrant workers injured during the building of infrastructure in Qatar.
The Australian, who will be analysing games for broadcaster SBS, said: "I don't want to go to Qatar and spend my money. I don't want to go to Qatar and take happy photos like [Qatar ambassador] David Beckham and say that everything is fine because it's not fine. So I'll be working on this World Cup from here in Australia."
Eric Cantona has taken aim at his former Manchester United team-mate Beckham and other public figures who are performing ambassadorial roles for Qatar.
In an interview with the Athletic, Cantona said he would not accept an offer to endorse the Gulf nation ahead of November’s tournament and believes those who are being paid are making a "big, big mistake".
Beckham has been widely criticised for signing a deal worth £10-15million a year that has seen him promote Doha as a tourist destination.
“I would not do it at all,” Cantona said. “I do completely the opposite. In January 2022, I started to say that. Maybe I was the first one. But I am free to do it. And of course, an ex-player paid to do this kind of thing…” He continued: “It could be they don’t know what has happened there. Or, if they know it, I think they did wrong. I think they made a big mistake. A big, big mistake.”
