Qatar and David Beckham – Doha wastes millions to improve its image, and the English player loses the title ‘Knight’
Qatar’s continuous efforts to improve its image through the squandering of public funds are subject to continuous criticism, both locally and internationally. International newspapers denounce it in light of the numerous economic crises, especially with regard to the huge waste during the 2022 World Cup, which is scheduled to start next November.
One of the most controversial decisions by Qatar to provoke a crisis over the World Cup was David Beckham’s controversial £10 million deal, which undermined his chances of winning the title “Knight”, as confirmed by the British Daily Mail.
A new attempt to secure David Beckham’s knighthood has failed, as reported on The Mail on Sunday. The former England captain is believed to have been formally nominated and included in the Honor Office’s official recommendations, but despite removing the tax hurdles believed to have thwarted previous attempts to become “Sir”, he has not succeeded again.
Sources last night said his decision to sign a controversial £10m deal to be the face of this year’s World Cup in Qatar had hampered his chances.
The British newspaper said the deal, unveiled by The Mail on Sunday in February last year, has drawn widespread criticism, given Qatar’s poor record on civil liberties and gay rights.
An insider said there was concern that the Qatar deal might stand against him with the committee scrutinizing nominations, adding: “David did some extraordinary things, but the agreement with Qatar wasn’t necessarily reasonable to sign if he wanted to be my master”.
He continued: “He took a lot of money to promote a country where women and LGBT people are being demonized. With all of the funds squared and his huge charitable contribution, the issue of Qatar is now a problem that stands out for him”.
Beckham insists that his engagement with Qatar provides an opportunity to make change from within and “use football as a force for good”, but Attitude magazine accused the former Manchester United midfielder of hypocrisy after he praised Blackpool’s Jack Daniels for his exit.
In a wilting post on Instagram, Attitude – whose cover featured the famous former footballer of 2002 – wrote: David Beckham continues to keep his money as close to his mouth as possible when it comes to the LGBT community. Beckham’s representatives reached out to HM Revenue & Customs two years ago to regularize his financial situation after he got stuck in the tax avoidance scheme.
Sources say that Beckham and his wife, Victoria, paid a “huge sum” and, thanks to a clean bill with taxes, Beckham’s supporters were free to resume their bid for the knighthood. The 47-year-old received the OBE in 2003 and Victoria was awarded the same honor in 2017.
