David Beckham has been issued a social media demand by comedian Joe Lycett.
The funny man reckons he'll donate £10,000 to charity if the footballer and "gay icon" pulls out of his controversial World Cup deal with Qatar.
The sporting hero has been one of the most high-profile stars to have backed the World Cup taking place in the Middle East and has appeared in various promotional videos for the event, as writes Birmingham Mail. However, World Cup chiefs have been slammed for choosing the country as host for the worldwide tournament, because of its poor human rights record and the fact that homosexuality is illegal there.
Lycett issued the challenge to Beckham at the weekend but warned he'd shred the cash if the former England captain doesn't withdraw from being an ambassador within one week.
In a video message shared on social media, Joe said: "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, 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've always talked about the power of football as a force for good, which suggests to me that you've 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'll donate this £10,000 of my own money, that's a grand for every million you're reportedly getting, to charities that support queer people in football.
"However if you do not at midday next Sunday I will throw this money into a shredder just before the opening ceremony of the world cup and stream it live on a website I registered...not just the money but also your status as a gay icon will be shredded you'll be forcing me to commit a crime.
"The choice is yours. I look forward to hearing from you."
Fans praised the comedian for his actions, but begged him not to shred the money if Beckham didn't comply with his command. "Love what you are doing, but please don't shred the money, it might not be much to you, but so much more good could be done with it these days. x," @tktagentsearch wrote.
@palouze_ said: "Hope you don’t actually shred the money and this is just for dramatic effect. Also think this video is ace but too late, should have been done way sooner."
@petey021 commented: "Only familiar with your televised comedy thus far; but well done, and well said, Mr. Lycett." @DINE0saur added: "I just want to live in a timeline where Joe Lycett is the Prime Minister."
Beckham's involvement with the event was debated on GMB this morning, with political journalist Andrew Pierce making his views clear.
He said: "As you know I don’t watch football, but I would not go to that country as a gay man because I would be very worried. As for David Beckham, he should be hanging his head in shame. He is a gay icon, hugely popular around the world, and he’s doing this for one reason: millions in the bank."
Beckham has received a reported £10m for his role as an ambassador. A spokesman for the former Manchester United star defended his association, citing the passion of Qatar as a country and their desire to create a long lasting legacy following the tournament as reasons for him accepting the role.
The spokesman told Metro: "David has been visiting Qatar regularly for over a decade and went on to play for PSG [Paris Saint-Germain], so he has seen the passion for football in the country and the long-term commitment that’s been made to hosting the World Cup and delivering a lasting legacy for the region."
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