David Beckham has issued a statement about his involvement with Qatar for the World Cup via a special edition of Joe Lycett's Got Your Back, after Lycett called him out on it through one of his most-talked about stunts.
Many footballers and pundits travelled to Qatar, where homosexuality is illegal and severely punishable, for the tournament, but Beckham – who has been named an LGBTQ+ ally many times over – signed a big-money deal to appear in adverts promoting tourism to the country.
In last night's (December 15) Joe Lycett's Got Your Back special, the comedian took viewers behind the scenes of the stunt, examined the reaction to it, and read a statement from Beckham's team.
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In full, the statement reads: "David has been involved in a number of World Cups and other major international tournaments both as a player and an ambassador and he has always believed that sport has the power to be a force for good in the world.
"Football, the most popular sport globally, has a genuine ability to bring people together and make a real contribution to communities.
"We understand that there are different and strongly held views about engagement in the Middle East but see it as a positive that debate about the key issues has been stimulated directly by the first World Cup being held in the region.
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"We hope that these conversations will lead to greater understanding and empathy towards all people and that progress will be achieved."
Lycett's stunt involved him issuing an ultimatum to Beckham, claiming he would shred £10,000 of his own money if Beckham didn't step away from his deal before the tournament's opening ceremony. The footballer didn't, and Lycett was filmed appearing to shred the money.
Then, Lycett explained in a subsequent video that he "never expected" to hear from Beckham before the deadline he had set, and that the money that came out of the shredder was fake – further stressing that he would "never be so irresponsible" as to destroy real money, particularly during a cost-of-living crisis.
The programme showed how Lycett had arranged for the shredder to be blocked off inside and refitted with a chute which dispensed shredded paper that looked like real money, to create the illusion.
Prior to his first message for Beckham, Lycett had donated the money to two LGBTQ+ charities, Stonewall's Rainbow Laces Campaign and Sport Allies. He added that he performed the stunt because he wanted to "get people talking" about the situation.
Lycett explained during the show and on Twitter afterwards that he had been advised "legally I cannot give my opinion" on the statement.
The special also saw Lycett talking with LGBTQ+ football teams and Three Lions Pride, a fan group for LGBTQ+ England football supporters. He also interviewed Dr Nasser Mohamed, the first openly gay Qatari.
Lycett also reflected on the cultural impact of Beckham's 2002 Attitude magazine cover at a time when Section 28, a piece of legislation which effectively banned schools and local authorities from providing educational information about LGBTQ+ people and communities, was still in force.
He had shredded a print of the cover – after seeking agreement from the magazine – in his final video confirming that the money had not really been shredded.
Lycett concluded the episode with a monologue urging LGBTQ+ allies to consistently show support, and be relied on "not to run away the moment it looks difficult, or when the first yellow card is threatened".
He added: "We need everyone to be our allies and we need them to remember that being an ally is for life, not just for Christmas specials."
Joe Lycett vs Beckham: Got Your Back at Xmas is available to catch up with via All4.
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