Joe Lycett, a comedian, has admitted that he did not in fact burn £10,000 in Qatar as part of a protest against David Beckham’s work as an ambassador for the World Cup.
After the former England footballer did not comply with his ultimatum to quit the job in favour of LGBT people, Lycett live streamed himself ostensibly destroying the money on Sunday.
On Monday, Lycett declared that he had really given the money to a good cause.
He said it would have been “irresponsible” to waste the money.
Given that same-sex relationships are illegal in Qatar, some LGBT supporters chose to abstain from the Fifa Men’s World Cup.
The money that went into the shredder was real, but the money that came out was phony, Joe Lycett said in a video update that was shared on Twitter.
Before I even hit send on the initial tweet last week, the $10,000 had already been given to LGBTQ+ groups.
He assured his supporters that he would never squander real money and would not be so reckless.
He addressed Beckham directly, saying “I never expected to hear from you – it was an empty threat aimed at getting people to talk.”
It was similar to your agreement with Qatar, David, in many ways: Total [stuff] from the start.
Joe Lycett had called Beckham a “gay icon” in an earlier video, but cautioned that this status was now under threat.
The Birmingham-born cartoonist concluded his most recent instalment by physically destroying a copy of Beckham’s Attitude front cover, claiming that the magazine had given him permission to do so. Attitude was the first gay publication to feature a Premier League player.
The Shia World Cup debuted on the same day as a promotional gimmick, which had earlier criticised it.
Some defended Joe Lycett, saying that he had been successful in generating more than £10,000 worth of worthwhile attention for the LGBT cause; others said he ought to have donated money to charity, which it has since been revealed that he did.
The performer posted a video of the alleged spreading on social media with the caption “a platform for progress,” referencing a line Beckham himself had used in a Middle Eastern tournament marketing campaign.
Dressed in a rainbow-colored tulle dress, Joe Lycett was shown in the video stuffing what appeared to be cash into an industrial shredder, though it was unclear whether banknotes were real.
He gave the former England captain until noon on 20 November to respond to reports that he had agreed a £10 million deal with the hosts of the FIFA World Cup.
In the event if Beckham terminated the sponsorship agreement prior to the tournament, the comedian threatened to contribute £10,000 of his own money to LGBT charity.
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Beckham did not comment on Joe Lycett’s actions to the media.
Everything you need to know
Due to concerns about LGBT rights in Qatar and the host country’s handling of migrant labour, the World Cup has been engulfed in controversy.
On Monday, it was confirmed that due to the risk of players receiving a booking, England, Wales, and other European nations will not wear the OneLove armband during the World Cup.
Harry Kane of England and Gareth Bale of Wales were among the captains who had intended to wear the armband during games to encourage diversity and inclusion.
The Congestions stated, “We are deeply disappointed by FIFA’s judgement, which we consider to be outlandish.
