David Beckham has already been criticized for accepting £10 million ($11.7 million) as ambassador for the controversial 2022 World Cup in Qatar, which kicks off on November 20 in Doha. But the case has now received more attention thanks to Brit comic and TV presenter Joe Lycett.
Lycett – known in the UK for his political issues – posted a video on Sunday saying he would put £10,000 of his own money into a chipper if Beckham didn’t end his deal with Qatar.
He described Beckham as a “gay icon” for being the first footballer to do photo shoots with gay magazines, speak openly about his gay fans and marry a Spice Girl (“the most gay thing a person can do”), Lycett noted. Qatar was declared one of the worst places in the world to be gay and a country where homosexuality was illegal, punishable by jail and in some cases death.
Lycett challenged Beckham to end his relationship with Qatar, saying he would donate the £10,000 ($11,700) to charities that support queer people in football. But if he didn’t, he said on Sunday 20 November at noon UK time, just before the opening ceremony of the World Cup, that he would throw the money in a shredder and stream it live on his website benderslikebeckham.com.
“Not just the money, but your status as a gay icon will be destroyed,” he added.
Destroying legal tender is of course illegal in the UK, a fact Lycett acknowledged.
“You’re forcing me to commit a crime,” he said. “But even then I think I will come off more light-hearted than if I were caught jerking off a guy in Doha.”
