David Beckham Is the World Cup’s Missing Mouthpiece

DOHA, Qatar — In the early days of the World Cup, as the group stage was underway and the world’s attention was on Qatar, the host of the biggest soccer championship was eager to capitalize on the limelight. shining on his little desert country.

To sell itself to the world, Qatar has spent millions on celebrity endorsements, including deals with a group of former footballers who can speak to fans by street credit and in the common language. Now, it’s time to unleash the biggest signing, the only star in his own league arsenal: David Beckham.

So, for a midweek lunchtime, plans were drawn up for Beckham and several other former players to appear at a fan zone set up near the shores of Doha’s Corniche. There, they will greet fans and be interviewed by a staff member on a specially constructed stage. Beckham’s team agreed to his request to attend but imposed two conditions: his presence was not announced in advance and reporters were not informed.

This event is a dud. In fact, the fan zone at Al Bidda Park was so deserted that the event was cancelled, although Beckham and others were backstage, according to multiple people familiar with the plan.

However, this curious incident is symbolic of the unusual relationship between Qatar and Beckham. It was a partnership with a pitcher who rarely pitches and an arrangement that overshadowed, rather than showcased, the host country. But it also creates a strange reality in which one of the world’s most famous figures is everywhere but nowhere.

Beckham’s face is plastered on billboards across Doha. He appeared in television commercials during breaks and in social media feeds promoting tickets to cultural events in Qatar. He has also been spotted in the VVIP stands at World Cup stadiums, and he was filmed visiting England before the team’s elimination.

What Beckham did not do, was not when he signed up to represent Qatar almost two years ago for a reported fee of more than 150 million USD, not during the World Cup, but to talk about why he agreed to be an ambassador or answer any questions about the many controversies that have erupted around Qatar hosting the event most watched sports in the world. Qatar has come under attack over its human rights record, laws that criminalize homosexuality and its treatment of migrant workers from some of the poorest places on earth recruited to build the World Cup. But Beckham seems to have been protected from any risk of awkward questions.

In London, for example, a few months before the World Cup, tournament officials thought it would be a good idea to promote the work of the Qatari female artist behind the official posters of the tournament at the World Cup. a special event at the Design Museum. Beckham, they thought, could attend to add his star. Instead, they were frustrated when the positive response came with a warning: Beckham was happy to go, but should not have any media present.

By then, Beckham’s reluctance to speak on forums outside the carefully controlled spaces his team would have to agree to began to draw attention. Requests to speak to him or find out about his motivations for working for Qatar went unanswered. Rare commentary for FIFA TV or friendly questioners connected to the World Cup and his social media posts have been analyzed for meaning, but in all of them he intentionally avoids hot topics of the league, including the plight of workers immigration, Qatar’s human rights record and LGBTQ concerns.

A Beckham journalist issued a statement on Friday to The New York Times, the first taped response after several previous inquiries, denying that he was present.

“David has participated in several World Cups and other major international tournaments as a player and ambassador and he has always believed that sport has the power to be a force for good in the world. ,” it said.

The statement continued: “We understand that there are strong and varied views on engagement in the Middle East but consider it positive that the debate on key issues has been directly stimulated by the World Cup. first held in this region”. “We hope that these conversations will lead to greater understanding and empathy for all, and that progress will be made.”

However, for some Qatari officials, Beckham’s reluctance to participate on their behalf, despite his contract to promote Qatar, the country and not just the World Cup, has raised concerns for months. In their view, Beckham, by staying silent and avoiding questioning in front of the media, used his influence in sometimes counterproductive ways. For all the millions of dollars he’s made, Qatari organizers feel, their country’s surveillance is only getting worse.

That frustration only increased earlier this year.

One of Beckham’s former Manchester United teammates, Gary Neville, is traveling to Qatar to make a documentary about the World Cup for British television, one that will address issues such as Qatar’s human rights record. . (Neville later signed up as a studio and match commentator for the country’s multibillion-dollar sports network, beIN Sports.) As part of a visit to Qatar, Neville arranged for a private interview. Beckham for his show, Overlap, which is also a podcast. Organizers thought that opportunity was the best platform for Beckham to discuss the controversy and his role with a sympathetic questioner and friend. But Beckham and his team rejected the idea, and when Neville’s interview aired, Beckham’s reluctance to talk about Qatar was once again noted.

Beckham’s special status has also led some of the former stars to be hired as promotional ambassadors for Qatar, a group that includes Cafu, the former World Cup-winning captain with Brazil, and Xavi, who won the World Cup with Spain and is the current coach. in Barcelona.

The staggering fee paid to Beckham, according to people with direct knowledge of the players’ contractual arrangements, has created tension as deals with other stars are being negotiated. completed. Some were irritated by what they saw as another sign of special treatment.

For example, at a pre-World Cup event held in one of the tournament’s eight stadiums, Qatar’s pitchers were called in to record content for one of their signature campaigns. According to those present, different stations were set up in the venue’s press room to take pictures with different celebrities. Invited players include Javier Mascherano, former Argentina defender, former Germany captain Lothar Matthäus and famous former Iran player Mehdi Mahdavikia.

However, the arrival of Beckham and his entourage was welcomed as a royal visit. All but the most essential employees were removed from the room and asked to wait in the hallway. “I think the emir will come,” said one official.

During the World Cup, his special status was made clear. Beckham, who left the tournament midway before returning to Qatar for the final period, was offered more lavish accommodation than the other players; he stayed at the Mandarin Oriental, while the others stayed in apartment-style rooms at a Hilton across the city. Most of his interactions take place on an exclusive basis, with no need to share a platform, a situation that prompted one former player to ask, “How many World Cups has Beckham won?” The answer, he and the other stars know, is no.

Money did not come without cost. Beckham’s relationship with Qatar has damaged his reputation in the UK, especially in the gay community, where until he was reported to have a $150 million deal considered ex-football player who fights for LGBTQ rights and a icons for related causes.

Last month, Joe Lycett, a British comedian, caught the attention of appeared to shred 10,000 pounds (about $12,000) after giving Beckham an ultimatum that he would do so unless he scrapped the deal with Qatar. A day later, Lycett revealed that the destruction of the money was just a stunt and that the money had been donated to LGBTQ charities instead.

On Thursday, Lycett read the full statement Beckham’s team later provided to The Times about his support for Qatar. Later, he also spoke to a man named Naser Mohamed, a doctor who claimed to be the first and only openly gay Qatari.

Mohamed said he tagged Beckham’s Instagram account in a post about the dangers gays face in Qatar, and the account was immediately locked.