Qatar World Cup organisers were forced to cancel a meet-and-greet-style event involving David Beckham as not enough people showed up, according to reports. The former England hero and current ambassador for Qatar may have shot himself in the foot after requesting that his appearance be kept a total secret.
Beckham’s endorsement of Qatar has been met with widespread criticism. The 47-year-old supposedly accepted a huge £120million to promote the country in a deal that started two years ago and built up to the 2022 World Cup.
Issues on migrant workers, LGBTQ+ laws and human rights in Qatar prompted many to question Beckham’s involvement with the country. It’s not just people in England that are unhappy, either, amid reports that Qatari chiefs have also been left disappointed by the former winger’s reluctance to answer tough questions and paint the country in a positive light.
According to The New York Times, plans were put in place for Beckham and other ex-players to visit the Al Bidda Park fan zone, but hesitancy from the Englishman’s camp meant that he only agreed to it on two conditions.
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That supposedly angered figures of authority in the Middle-Eastern nation, who hoped that their mammoth investment in Beckham would give them some kind of positive return in the media. Neville himself faced tough criticism on his decision to travel to Qatar as a pundit this winter, receiving a grilling on the BBC show, Have I Got News For You.
After being told that his reasons for jetting over to Doha were ‘not very good’ by broadcaster Ian Hislop, Neville backed his decision and Beckham’s ambassadorship in an interview with The Daily Mail. “We either decide that we collaborate with these countries, and try and impact change through football – which is what I think we should always do – or we say we’re never going to let them play sport, we’re never going to have a World Cup there, we’re never going to allow them to compete against us because they don’t have what would be as progressive rights as they should have,” he said.
“That is the reality of where I’m at with it. There’s no-one that I think wants workers’ rights to be better than me, there’s no-one who wants women’s rights, equality or diversity more than me, I absolutely believe in it.
“When I highlight these issues, I can do so from a position whereby if I am covering eight games on beIN in a World Cup, and those issues come up or there’s an incident outside the stadium, I will highlight them, as I will on ITV, as I will on my own channels. I will never shy away from it.”
Beckham’s publicist issued a statement to TNYT, which can be seen here.
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