Joe Lycett has given an update after his recent ultimatum to David Beckham over the former footballer’s controversial deal with Qatar for this year’s World Cup.
Over the weekend, Joe shared a video on social media criticising the former England captain for accepting a reported £10m to be an ambassador for Qatar, where the football tournament is set to begin on Sunday.
The decision to host the World Cup in Qatar has been met with a backlash due to the country’s human rights issues, particularly with regards to migrant workers and the LGBTQ+ community.
In his video, Joe gave the former England captain an ultimatum, stating he will give £10,000 to charity in football if David pulls out of his World Cup deal – and if he doesn’t, the comic said he will shred the money instead.
Since it was posted on Sunday, David is yet to comment on Joe’s video, with the former Sewing Bee host revealing he’s now taken the matter further.
In a screenshot of an email sent to David’s PR team, Joe explained: “I’ve managed to get myself into a bit of a pickle – I’ve been a bit daft and publicly announced that I’m going to shred £10K on Sunday if David doesn’t end his relationship with Qatar, or donate the cash to LGBTQ+ charities if he does, yet we’re now four days out and I haven’t heard a peep from him.
“Could you do me a solid and let me know if there’s any chance he might budge on his position, or am I to expect radio silence on this?”
“I really don’t want to shred ten grand!!!” he continued. “I also really don’t want a national treasure that has historically supported the LGBTQ+ community to publicly endorse and advertise a nation state that has an appalling human rights record and has the death penalty for gays – call me old fashioned!!!!!!
“There’s still time for David and his team to do the right thing. I’m happy to speak to you about this at any time that you find convenient.”
He ended the message: “Best wishes, Joe.”
Joe isn’t the only public figure to have called out David for his Qatar deal, with former Great British Bake Off star John Whaite stating earlier this week: “I think it’s disgusting, he’s cheapening himself.”
Meanwhile, fellow footballer Gary Neville recently faced a grilling during a taping of Have I Got News For You over his own involvement in the Qatar World Cup.