David Beckham breaks silence on Qatar World Cup role and defends position after being called out by Joe Lycett

The football legend has revealed why he chose to take up his big-money deal in Qatar following weeks of intense controversy.

David Beckham claims the Qatar World Cup “has the power to be a force for good” after defending his A$272 million deal to be the face of the finals.

The ex-England captain broke his silence on Friday in response to being called out by comedian Joe Lycett, The Sun reports.

Lycett protested against Beckham’s A$27 million-a-year agreement to be an ambassador for the tiny gulf nation.

He went viral for his money-shredding stunt last month after he issued an ultimatum to Beckham for the Qatar deal, where homosexuality is illegal.

If Beckham did not pull out of the deal, Lycett said he would shred A$18,000.

It was later revealed that Lycett had in fact donated it to an LGBTQ+ charity.

Former England player David Beckham attends the Qatar 2022 World Cup Group B football match between England and Iran at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha on November 21, 2022. (Photo by Paul ELLIS / AFP)

But a spokesman for Beckham: “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 positive that debate about the key issues has been stimulated directly by the first World Cup being held in the region.

“We hope that these conversations will lead to greater understanding and empathy towards all people and that progress will be achieved.”

FIFA President Gianni Infantino (C) and former England player David Beckham (L) are seen in the stand prior to the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Group B match between England and IR Iran. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)

Revealing what really happened with the $18,000, Lycett said: “I haven’t quite told you the whole truth – the truth is the money that went into the shredder was real, but the money that came out was fake. I would never destroy real money.

“I would never be so irresponsible, in fact, the 10 grand (A$18,000) had already been donated to LGBTQ+ charities before I even pressed send on the initial tweet last week.

“I never expected to hear from you, it was an empty threat designed to get people talking.”

- This article originally appeared in The Sun and was republished with permission.