TV star Judge Rob Rinder has slammed football icon David Beckham for his involvement in supporting the upcoming FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
David Beckham has struck a £10million promotional deal to promote the World Cup, despite the nation's discrimination against women and gay people.
Judge Rinder has also condemned the decision to hold the major tournament in the oppressive Middle East nation as a 'disgrace'. In an interview he's claimed that nations should not be allowed to use sporting events to 'cleanse' their reputations.
The football tournament will be held in November and December and is expected to bring thousands of football fans to the Middle East country.
Rob Rinder, who has appeared on programmes such as Good Morning Britain, spoke out against the football event due to Qatar's harsh laws to The Mail On Sunday.
He slammed David Beckham for signing a £10million deal, which the TV judge claimed was putting 'money before morals'. Last month, the former England captain released a promotional video describing the Middle East nation as 'perfection'.
Rinder, who is also gay, focused heavily on Qatar's treatment of migrant construction workers, thousands of whom are said to have died while building stadiums for the tournament which starts next month. The nation is also strict and has laws against homosexuality including up to three years in prison.
Speaking to The Mail On Sunday, Rinder said: "There should be basic requirements before you are entitled to [host] them, and that's not just about LGBTQ. It's about the 6,500 workers who died, it's about the fact that Beckham's daughter Harper would not be able to continue with her education [if she was Qatari] without the permission of a male relative."
The 44-year-old also continued to discuss how Qatar has abhorrent human right laws, something that is unlikely to change before the end of year sport event.
Rinder also highlighted how many other nations don't improve their records after staging such events, citing the 2008 Beijing Olympics and Russia hosting the last World Cup as examples.
He added: "It is tragic that we are about to have the World Cup in Qatar. We need to do the best, all of us, to highlight all of the issues I'm talking about. We can't bury our heads in the sand.
"You know this is about money, not about the purity or love of the game. What a tragic moment that is."
