David Beckham has finally made a statement to Joe Lycett after the comedian pretended to blow £10,000 over the footballer’s £10m World Cup deal with Qatar.
Joe pulled a stunt last month in which he threatened to destroy £10,000 of his own money if David Beckham did not back out of his contract with World Cup hosts Qatar, where homosexuality is still illegal.
And after repeated attempts by Joe to speak out, David’s team finally addressed the issue, noting that the athlete “considers it positive that debate on important issues has been stimulated” since the World Cup was held in the country.
Too late: David Beckham has finally made a statement to Joe Lycett after the comedian pretended to have blown “£10,000” over the footballer’s £10m World Cup deal with Qatar
The full statement reads: “Having been involved in a number of World Cups and other major international tournaments both as a player and as an ambassador, David has always believed in the power of sport to be a positive force in the to be world.
“Soccer, the most popular sport in the world, has a real ability to bring people together and make real contributions to communities.
“We understand that there are different and strong views on engagement in the Middle East, but we welcome the fact that the first World Cup in the region has directly stimulated debate on key issues.
“We hope that these conversations will lead to greater understanding and empathy for all people and progress will be made.”
After reading the statement about his show, Joe said that he was not legally allowed to express his opinion about it.
Earlier in the show, Joe spoke out about David’s role in Qatar, saying: “I am angry at his blatant hypocrisy and failure to be an ally to the LGBT community.”
Ultimatum: Joe pulled a stunt last month in which he threatened to destroy £10,000 of his own money if David Beckham did not pull out of his contract with World Cup hosts Qatar
With the comic star throwing in: “We deserve better from our national hero.”
Last month, Lycett released the video, which appeared to controversially show him shredding the money, but later revealed it was a hoax and that he had already donated the money to LGBTQ+ charities.
It comes after Joe recently explained how he pulled off his latest stunt by pretending to embezzle £10,000 on David’s £10m World Cup deal with Qatar.
Speaking on Jeremy Vine on 5, the comedian explained that the money he put in the machine was real, but it was taken out in a bucket.
There were then two buses with the fake money that came out the other side “shredded”.
He said: “There was a lot going on behind the scenes, really a lot of stress. The whole weekend I was so wracked with fear and worry because it felt really wrong, it felt really scary to be doing what I was doing.”
Explanation: Joe recently explained how he managed it by pretending to waste £10,000 on David Beckham’s £10m World Cup deal with Qatar
Joe added, “I knew I had to do something like this to generate press and intrigue.
“Which is really depressing. They would hope that the violation of human rights would create an intrigue of its own.’
Explaining how the machine worked, he said: “If you had put real money in the machine, it wouldn’t have turned out like this.
“It’s basically a bit of theatre, but I wanted it to be as dark and shocking as possible. I think we succeeded.”
Controversy: Joe said the money he put into the machine was real, but it was picked up in a bucket and the fake money was in two containers that came out the other side ‘shredded’
Joe said the real money was put in the shredder to make the stunt look more realistic, rather than fake money, which has different dimensions.
The comedian said: “We knew it when we used it [fake money], people would immediately say “Oh, that’s a fake”. We really needed money to go to the shredder to look real.”
When asked what happened to the £10,000, he said it was returned to the bank as he had already donated the money to charity.
Joe also spoke to global journalists Emily Maitlis and Jon Sopel on their podcast The News Agents earlier this month about how they heard from Beckham’s people after the stunt.
He explained: “I haven’t heard directly from Beckham, we’ve had some movement with his people.”
Laughing, Emily added, “Wait, is that like a summons or an indictment or a friendly hello?”
Ambassador: Joe said he had been in contact with David Beckham’s people (pictured in Qatar) after asking the ex-footballer to end his relationship with the country
Joe said: “I’d love to be sued by him, what a twist that would be.” In fact, we had contact with them. But legally, I’m not sure what I’m allowed to say at this point.
“I’m not happy with where we are, let’s put it that way.”
Emily continued, “So they’re offering positive movement money? Or donations?’ and Joe replied, “No. They don’t really offer anything. You just talk to us a little bit.
“I think they’re just really trying to get it out there. Which will eventually happen and won’t affect him in the long run.
Jon Sopel added, “I honestly can’t think of anything that’s been done in PR or advertising for ten thousand that’s gotten that much attention.
Joe is openly pansexual, meaning he is attracted to all genders and has come out on many occasions for being queer and speaking up for LGBTQ+ rights.
The World Cup is taking place in Qatar – where homosexuality is still illegal and anyone caught engaging in same-sex sexual activity can face up to seven years in prison.
Big deal: The comic has given former England footballer David Beckham an ultimatum after he was reported to have struck a £10m deal with the FIFA World Cup host
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Ashley Root is an author and celebrity journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a keen eye for all things celebrity, Ashley is always up-to-date on the latest gossip and trends in the world of entertainment.
