David Beckham sparked controversy this week at the World Cup when he seemingly turned his back on the values he’s previously spoken proudly of having.
In my opinion, all in favour of a substantial paycheque.
In October 2021, David was reported to have inked a deal worth a whopping £150 million to be an ambassador of Qatar for a decade.
However, the deal appeared to slip relatively under the radar until earlier this month.
As part of that deal, it meant David became an ambassador for the Qatar World Cup. As a result, his relationship with Qatar suddenly became clear to a global audience.
He’s certainly been put to work by them. He recently filmed a promotional clip for Visit Qatar in a bid to drive tourism within the state.
Days later, in a video message aired at a youth festival in the Qatari capital of Doha, the retired footballer defended Qatar and insisted the competition would be a platform for “progress, inclusivity, and tolerance”.
‘Football has a homophobia problem’
So what’s the issue with David’s decision? Well, football has always had a major homophobia problem.
British player Justin Fashanu became the world’s first professional player to come out as gay in 1990.
Shockingly, in the three decades since, not one other premiership male football star still playing in the UK has followed.
At the time, Justin suffered homophobic backlash from other players, fans and the media. Even his family disowned him, and in 1998, he tragically took his own life.
Justin’s heart-wrenching story is just one of the many reasons why vocal allies such as David, who are few and far between in the world of football, have been so crucial in driving a change in attitudes towards gay people within the culture of football.
Just four years after Justin’s death, and arguably at the height of his fame in the UK, David took the step of posing for the cover of the gay magazine, Attitude.
He became the first footballer to do so. In the interview, he shared his “honour” to be labelled a gay icon.
FIFA also claims to want to eradicate homophobia from within the game.
However, just like David, it seems to me that gay people once again only appear to be important when millions of dollars aren’t at risk.
One Love armbands banned at the World Cup
Shortly before the competition got underway, England’s team announced they would be wearing their One Love armbands on the pitch. The bands are a protest against anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination laws and are worn to promote equality.
However, when FIFA announced that players wearing the One Love armband would get a yellow card, the FA swiftly backtracked and banned players from showing their support.
To be clear, we are not a political statement, and support of us should not be categorised as such.
We simply exist and demand that be recognised.
David Beckham is no longer an ‘ally’
For some, it can be difficult to comprehend what LGBTQ+ people go through. Sure, we got same-sex marriage. But it was a hollow victory. We are nowhere near achieving equality.
Just days ago, five were shot dead in a hate crime shooting in Colorado Springs.
In the UK last year, anti-trans hate crimes rose 56%. Crimes against LBG people also rose notably.
Even in major cities we as gay people still have to constantly be aware of where and when we are holding our loved one’s hand.
It’s exhausting.
All these factors make what I see as David Beckham’s blatant decision to value money over morality that much more hurtful to our community.
You either support our community, or you don’t. We no longer claim David as a “gay icon,” or as an ally.
His silence has shown us that any support he has shown us throughout his career has been nothing more than empty virtue signaling designed to bolster his own image.
He cannot cast us aside like Andy with his old toys in Toy Story.
Let’s be very clear, his deal with Qatar, a state that actively persecutes and hunts LGBTQ+ people, to many makes him complicit in their demonising and imprisoning of our community.
David Beckham is not an LGBTQ+ ally. Should he ever claim to be in the future, such empty words should illicit nothing more than laughter.
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