David Beckham watches Argentina soar to victory in nail-biter final against France with his son Cruz – after his controversial World Cup role
David Beckham watched Argentina cinch the World Cup victory on Sunday alongside his son Cruz, 17.
The former footballer, 47, smiled widely as he posed for a photo with his youngest son.
The father and son duo both cut dapper figures in suits and ties as they watched the game from the stands.
Big fans: David Beckham watched Argentina cinch the World Cup victory on Sunday alongside his son Cruz, 17
David wore a brown blazer with a grey shirt and a polka dot tie, while Cruz wore a black suit and matching tie.
Argentinian fans the world over erupted in wild celebrations as their team prevailed, scoring every penalty while France squandered two of their efforts amid the mind games of Argentinian goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez.
Earlier Lionel Messi had scored a desperate goal in extra time to drag his team back in front of defending champions France – only for Kylian Mbappe to seal a hat-trick and set up a nerve-wracking penalty shootout.
David’s appearance at the final comes after comedian Joe Lycett branded hisa ‘disgrace’ as the sportsman finally addressed his controversial £10million World Cup deal with the Arab country.
Lionel Messi of Argentina lifts the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Winner’s Trophy after the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Final match between Argentina and France at Lusail Stadium
Last month, Joe pulled a stunt in which he threatened to destroy £10,000 of his own money unless the sports star pulled out of his deal with tournament hosts Qatar, where homosexuality is still illegal.
The ex Manchester United player did not initially responded to requests for comment from Joe, with the comedian then pretending to shred the cash.
Yet during Thursday night’s episode of Joe Lycett’s Got Your Back, the comic, 34, revealed he’d been given a statement from David’s camp.
While Joe said that he wasn’t legally allowed to give his opinion on the statement itself, he offered his feelings on David’s Qatar deal, while the editor of British gay lifestyle magazine Attitude branded the statement ‘tone deaf’.
David’s team remarked that the sportsman sees it as ‘a positive that debate about key issues has been stimulated’ from the World Cup being played in Qatar.
The statement read: ‘David has been involved in a number of World Cups and other major international tournaments both as a player and an ambassador and he’s always believed that sport has the power to be a force for good in the world.
Argentina’s players erupt with joy and elation as they become champions of the world
‘Football, the most popular sport globally, has a genuine ability to bring people together and make a real contribution to communities.
‘We understand that there are different and strongly held views about engagement in the Middle East but see it as positive that debate about the key issues has been stimulated directly by the first World Cup being held in the region.
‘We hope that these conversations will lead to greater understanding and empathy towards all people and that progress will be achieved.’
Earlier in the show, Joe read a tweet from a Twitter account which labelled him a ‘k**b’ and said his money shredding stunt ‘achieved nothing’ – the latter of which Joe agreed with.
The star looked despondent as he told the audience: ‘I did achieve nothing, Beckham still hasn’t addressed the issues faced by LGBTQ people in Qatar.’
Ultimatum: Last month, Joe pulled a stunt in which he threatened to destroy £10,000 of his own money unless David pulled out of his deal with World Cup hosts Qatar
He continued: ‘People say to me, “Why does it matter so much to you?” and the reason it matters is because if someone like me lived in Qatar, they wouldn’t be able to be someone like me.’
Joe went on to address LGBTQ allies, remarking that if someone wants to be an ally, they should be one to rely on at al times, not just when convenient.
He said: ‘I want to talk about allies, in particular, companies and celebrities who like to think they’re allies to our community, who are happy to slap a rainbow on when it doesn’t cost them anything, but looked the other way when it came to the World Cup.
‘What I say is that we need allies, but allies we can rely on not to run away the moment it looks difficult, or when the first yellow card is threatened.
‘We need everyone to be our allies and we need them to remember that being an ally is for life, not just for Christmas specials.’
And while he couldn’t respond to David’s comment directly, earlier in the show, Joe hit out at David’s Qatar role, stating: ‘I am angry at his blatant hypocrisy and failure to be an ally to the LGBTQ community.’
The comedian goes on to add: ‘We deserve better from our national hero.’
He also branded the former England captain a ‘disgrace’, saying it was ‘disappointing because he’s not changed his mind.’
Attitude editor Cliff Joannou’s verdict then weighed in, saying ‘David’s statement is insultingly benign, extremely tone deaf and beyond disappointing.
‘When a FIFA World Cup ambassador describes homosexuality as “a disease of the mind”, we are a long way off from the unity that Beckham’s ill-informed spokesperson desires.
‘In their statement, they also highlight how football has a “genuine ability to bring people together and make a real contribution to communities” – perhaps they could begin by donating Beckham’s alleged £150million deal to the oppressed communities they wish to help?
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