David Beckham is taking some stick from fans after reports of an alleged £150m ambassadorial deal with Qatar for the 2022 World Cup.
They are now mounting calls for him to be removed from his UNICEF role over country’s poor human rights record with England icon also accused of sportswashing as he prepares to front 2022 World Cup
David Beckham will be unveiled as the face of the Qatar World Cup next month in a deal worth $277 million (£150m).
The former England captain’s contract is worth £15 million per-year over the next decade to become the country’s global ambassador.
Earlier this month he flew into the capital Doha for a week touring stadiums and meeting dignitaries ahead of next year’s tournament, The Sun reports.
However, many have voiced their concern over one of the world’s most recognisable sports stars becoming the face of an event that many consider to be an unashamed attempt at sportswashing.
Taking to Twitter, the account End Sportswashing wrote: ‘Very disappointing decision by David Beckham to sell his image to this #sportswashing exercise.
‘He should instead be using his position to draw attention to Qatar’s human rights record and treatment of it’s migrant workers.’
One user on Twitter commented: ‘@UNICEF Your ‘ambassador’ David Beckham has just taken £22 million from Qatar to ‘promote’ the World Cup, a country with horrendous human rights violations.
‘Will you now remove him from this conflict of interest?’
