Joe Lycett shreds £10k of own money and disowns David Beckham as gay icon over Qatar World Cup role

Comedian Joe Lycett has made good on his promise to shred £10,000 in protest at David Beckham's endorsement of the 2022 World Cup, which is just about to kick off in Qatar.

Beckham is an ambassador for the World Cup and is reportedly being paid £10 million to promote the tournament amidst a storm of criticism for the host nation.

Qatar's record on human rights is appalling, with homosexuality being illegal in the country and punishable by a prison sentence.

Qatari officials have insisted that nothing bad will happen to LGBTQ+ people if they travel to Qatar to watch the World Cup.

However, in recent days, the host nation has moved the goalposts on some rules ahead of the tournament, while people acting within the law have been threatened with physical violence.

Lycett had called on Beckham as a 'gay icon' to 'end your relationship with Qatar', promising to donate £10,000 of his own money to charity if the former footballer stopped promoting the World Cup.

The comedian then said that if Beckham didn't turn his back on Qatar, he would shred all of that money 'along with your status as a gay icon'.

Twitter/@joelycett

Lycett had praised Beckham for his previous support of the LGBTQ+ community, noting he was 'the first premiership footballer to do shoots with gay magazines' and 'speak openly about your gay fans'.

The comedian also joked that Beckham had also 'married a Spice Girl, which is the gayest thing a human can do'.

He also highlighted Beckham's previous words of 'the power of football as a force for good' and agreed with the idea, calling on the England legend to stay true to his words.

Setting up the website benderslikebeckham.com, Lycett began a countdown to midday today (20 November) and when the clock struck 12, he would make good on his promise to shred the money.

With that deadline having arrived, the comedian has made good on his promise, shredding the cash in protest of Beckham's role as ambassador for the World Cup.

Dressed flamboyantly and taking care to wear the appropriate eye and ear protection (safety first, guys), Lycett released a video of himself chucking the money into a shredder.

Abaca Press/Alamy Stock Photo

Not everyone has supported Lycett's decision to shred £10,000, however, with some calling on him to donate the money to charity even if Beckham didn't ditch Qatar.

While the statement of shredding £10,000 is emphatic, many believed that money should be sent somewhere it can do the most good, regardless of Beckham's response.

Others have called out Beckham for taking a role as ambassador for the 2022 World Cup, with the first openly gay man in Qatar accusing the former footballer 'stamping out hope for the LGBT community' in the country.

Judge Robert Rinder also slated Beckham for promoting the World Cup, declaring it to be a case of 'money before morals' and saying that Qatar getting to host the competition was a 'tragic moment'.

LADbible has contacted representatives of David Beckham and Joe Lycett for further comment.