David Beckham slammed for choice of words during Baftas speech

David Beckham has been called out for something he said at the Baftas when he was on stage to present the Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer award.

Though he cut a distinguished figure at the annual awards ceremony there was a little verbal slip upon which people have pounced and denounced.

The Bafta for Outstanding Debut went to Earth Mama director Savanah Leaf, who also competed for Team GB in volleyball at the 2012 Olympics.

However, some of the folks at home were busy spitting digital feathers on social media at something Beckham said.

Although known in the world of football for rarely putting a foot wrong, judging by the reactions to what he said at the Baftas it seems as though his foot ended up in his mouth.

Kate Green/BAFTA/Getty Images for BAFTA

Beckham committed a monstrous faux pas among Brits from which he may never be forgiven when he used the word 'soccer'.

If you're scratching your head as to why this could prompt such a vociferous response, 'football' is seen as the proper term this side of the Atlantic Ocean while 'soccer' is regarded as a somewhat crass Americanism.

For a British icon like Beckham to utter the word 'soccer' at a British awards ceremony is essentially tantamount to treason in the eyes of some viewers.

"David Beckham it's a British awards show, you don't need to mention soccer," one wrote, while another digitally yelled: "DAVID BECKHAM YOU ARE ON THE BAFTAS DON'T YOU DARE PANDER TO THE AMERICANS."

Another response from a somewhat weary-sounding viewer was 'don't say soccer, Dave', while someone else wrote 'David Beckham calling football soccer at a British awards show' accompanied by a GIF of someone smashing up a computer in anger.

By the way, for the etymology fans among you the origin of the word 'football' is not entirely clear.

Karwai Tang/WireImage

While the obvious answer is that it refers to a ball game primarily played with the feet, there are suggestions that the word's origins came from describing a ball game where the players were on foot, instead of on horseback.

As for the origins of 'soccer', while British people generally don't use it the word did originate over here.

In the 19th century students at Oxford University used slang terms to differentiate between rugby football and association football, calling them 'rugger' and 'assoccer' respectively, before shortening the latter term down to 'soccer'.

In the years to come in the UK it remained a slang term used largely by a handful of posh students while the sports became widely known as rugby and football, so 'soccer' never really caught on as the main term for football.

However, in countries which already had their own version of football such as the US (what Brits term American football is officially named 'gridiron football') and Australia soccer became a more useful term and the name stuck there.

LADbibe Group has contacted representatives for David Beckham for comment.