David Beckham's $227 million deal with Qatar to promote the country ahead of the 2022 World Cup has reportedly cost him the knighthood. The former football player was officially nominated for the honour.
It is believed that Beckham's decision to promote Qatar, a nation with a 'shameful' human rights records did not settle well with the Cabinet Office, the body responsible for announcing the honour twice a year, a source told the Daily Mail.
The former Manchester United midfielder was supposed to be knighted in 2013 but was unfortunately red flagged by HM Customs and Revenue as his name appeared with 140 other celebrities who had invested in a controversial scheme.
Enraged by the decision of the awards committee for excluding his name, Beckham called them 'unappreciative ****s' in emails sent to his advisers. These were published in 2017 underlining his choice of words for the committee.
In the wake of the Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee Celebrations, fans claimed Beckham was "begging" for a knighthood as the football star shared a small tribute to the queen in a series of snaps on his Instagram, The Daily Express reported.
Referring to the Qatar deal, the 47-year-old was slammed by human rights activists when the deal was first made public in February last year, who called the association to be 'morally bankrupt.'
Beckham joining hands with the Middle Eastern country known for mistreating migrant workers, discriminating against women as well as restricting freedom of speech, led to several questioning his role as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador.
"He has made a huge mistake. I hope he will think again. This doesn't square with his professed support for women's and LGBT+ rights," said Veteran LGBTQ rights activist Peter Tatchell.
Apart from these, many media outlets as well have voiced their disappointment of the former footballer's decision. Just recently the British gay lifestyle magazine Attitude accused Beckham of hypocrisy after he declared his support for Blackpool's Jake Daniels for coming out, while still being associated with the Middle Eastern nation.
"David Beckham continues to keep his money just about as far as possible from where his mouth is when it comes to the LGBTQ community," the magazine mocked the former footballer in an Instagram post.
Aware of the criticism, the UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador has reiterated that his decision is 'an opportunity' to 'use football as a force for good' and bring about a change from within.
Beckham has been previously honored by the United Kingdom with the Order of the British Empire in 2003 and his wife, Victoria was also awarded the same in 2017.
