Beautiful Virgin Islands

Friday, May 15, 2026

UK comedian faked shredding money over Beckham's Qatar World Cup deal

UK comedian faked shredding money over Beckham's Qatar World Cup deal

A British comedian who appeared to shred 10,000 pounds in banknotes in protest at the former England soccer captain David Beckham’s decision to take on a role as an ambassador for Qatar at the World Cup said on Monday he faked the stunt.

Beckham, who played for Manchester United and Real Madrid as a midfielder, is working for Qatar, which has been criticised for its treatment of foreign workers, LGBTQ+ rights and restrictive social laws.

Joe Lycett said last week he would donate the money to charity if Beckham agreed to cut ties with the World Cup host or he would shred the money before the tournament began.

On Sunday, he appeared to put the money into a woodchipper but now said he never actually shredded the cash and money has instead been donated to a LGBTQ+ charity.

“It was an empty threat designed to get people talking,” Lycett said.

Beckham has not publicly acknowledged or responded to the ultimatum.

Homosexuality is illegal in Qatar -just as it was in Britain for 400 years- and the country’s organisers of the World Cup have warned visitors against public displays of affection but say that everyone, no matter their sexual orientation or background, is welcome at the event.

The country has also denied accusations of abusing of workers and bribery to win the hosting rights.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
The Great Western Exit: Why Best Citizens Are Fleeing the Rich World [PODCAST]
The New Robber Barons of Intelligence: Are AI Bosses More Powerful Than Rockefeller?
The End of the Old Order [Podcast]
Britain’s Democracy Is Now a Costume
The AI Gold Rush Is Coming for America’s Last Open Spaces [Podcast]
The Pentagon’s AI Squeeze: Eight Tech Giants Get In, Anthropic Gets Shut Out [Podcast]
The War Map: Professor Jiang’s Dark Theory of Iran, Trump, China, Russia, Israel, and the Coming Global Shock [Podcast]
Labour Is No Longer a National Party [Podcast]
AI Isn’t Stealing Your Job. It’s Dismantling It Piece by Piece.
Lawyers vs Engineers: Why China Builds While America Litigates [Podcast]
Churchill’s Glass: The Drunk, the Doctor, and the Myth Britain Refuses to Sober Up From
Apple issues an unusual warning: this is how your iPhone can be hacked without you doing anything
The Met Gala Meets the Age of Billionaire Backlash
Russian Oligarch’s Superyacht Crosses Hormuz via Iran-Controlled Route
Gunfire Disrupts White House Correspondents’ Dinner as Trump Is Evacuated
A Leak, a King, and a Fracturing Alliance
Inside the Gates Foundation Turmoil: Layoffs, Scrutiny, and the Cost of Reputational Risk
UK Biobank Breach Exposes Health Data of 500,000, Listed for Sale on Chinese Platform
KPMG Cuts Around 10% of US Audit Partners After Failed Exit Push
French Police Probe Suspected Weather-Data Tampering After Unusual Polymarket Bets on Paris Temperatures
News Roundup
Microsoft lost 2.5 millions users (French government) to Linux
Privacy Problems in Microsoft Windows OS
News roundup
Péter András Magyar and the Strategic Reset of Hungary
Hungary After the Landslide — A Strategic Reset in Europe
×