English Comedian's Fake Money Shredding Show Targeting Beckham Who Betrayed LGBTQ+ Community

Criticism Over Qatar World Cup Promotion Model Contract Excluding Sexual Minorities
Beckham Earns 'Gay Icon' Title for Supporting Sexual Minorities Remarks

On the afternoon of the 21st (local time), David Beckham is watching the Group B first match of the 2022 Qatar World Cup between England and Iran held at Khalifa International Stadium in Doha, Qatar. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyun-joo] Criticism from the LGBTQ+ community is emerging against David Beckham, who is serving as an ambassador for the 2022 Qatar World Cup. Joe Lycett, a famous British comedian and bisexual, released a video showing him shredding ?10,000 (approximately 16 million KRW) in protest against Beckham.

According to BBC and other media on the 21st (local time), Lycett posted the video on his social media the day before. Wearing rainbow-colored clothing symbolizing support for LGBTQ+ rights, he fed stacks of money into a shredder one by one.

Earlier, on the 13th, Lycett requested Beckham via Twitter to reconsider his contract as a Qatar World Cup ambassador. He promised, "If you end your relationship with Qatar, I will donate ?10,000 to a charity supporting LGBTQ+ people in football." He added, "If you do not end the relationship, I will shred the money at noon this Sunday, just before the World Cup opening ceremony," and said, "I will shred not only the money but also your status as a ‘gay icon.’"

This appears to be criticism of Beckham, who once had a strong fan base among LGBTQ+ people, for accepting ?150 million (approximately 240 billion KRW) in advertising fees to serve as a promotional model for the Qatar World Cup. Beckham, who had shown LGBTQ+ friendly actions, was once labeled a ‘gay icon.’ However, Qatar does not recognize LGBTQ+ people and punishes consensual same-sex relations with up to seven years in prison.

Lycett later revealed that the money used in the video was fake. He posted another message on his social media explaining that he donated ?10,000 to an LGBTQ+ support organization. Regarding Beckham, he said, "I did not expect to hear your response, and it was just an empty threat designed to bring people into the discussion," and criticized, "(This performance) was ‘nonsense’ from the start, much like your contract with Qatar."

However, Beckham is reported not to have issued a separate public statement regarding this controversy. On the same day, he appeared at the Khalifa International Stadium for the match between England and Iran.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.