David Beckham ‘is putting money before morals’: Judge Rinder condemns the former England star for his £10million Qatar World Cup deal despite nation’s discrimination against women and gay people
TV star Robert Rinder has condemned David Beckham for striking a £10million deal to promote the World Cup despite Qatar’s appalling discrimination against women and gay people.
The Good Morning Britain presenter, known as Judge Rinder, also blasted the decision to hold the major tournament in the oppressive Middle East nation as a ‘disgrace’.
Hitting out at the former England star for putting ‘money before morals’ in accepting £10 million to plug the World Cup, Mr Rinder told The Mail on Sunday that nations should not be allowed to use sporting events to ‘cleanse’ their reputations.
Mr Rinder, 44, who is gay, also condemned Qatar’s treatment of migrant construction workers, thousands of whom are said to have died while building stadiums for the tournament which starts next month.
Good Morning Britain presenter Robert Rinder (pictured) has condemned David Beckham for putting ‘money before morals’ in accepting £10million to promote the World Cup in Qatar
David Beckham (pictured with wife Victoria yesterday) has accepted a multi-million pound deal to promote the event despite Qatar’s appalling discrimination against women and gay people
He said: ‘There should be basic requirements before you are entitled to [host] them, and that’s not just about LGBTQ. It’s about the 6,500 workers who died, it’s about the fact that Beckham’s daughter Harper would not be able to continue with her education [if she was Qatari] without the permission of a male relative.’
He said he does not believe Qatar will fix its abhorrent human right laws – which include three-year jail sentences for homosexuality – just because of the World Cup.
The Spurs fan said ‘we know from history’ that nations don’t improve their records after staging such events, citing the 2008 Beijing Olympics and Russia hosting the last World Cup.
Mr Rinder, 44, pointed out that David Beckham’s daughter Harper (pictured with her father and brother Cruz) would not be able to continue with her education if she was Qatari without the permission of a male relative
The former England captain released a promotional video describing the Middle East nation as ‘perfection’. Pictured riding a motorbike through the streets of Doha
‘It is tragic that we are about to have the World Cup in Qatar,’ he said. ‘We need to do the best, all of us, to highlight all of the issues I’m talking about. We can’t bury our heads in the sand.
‘You know this is about money, not about the purity or love of the game. What a tragic moment that is.’
Last year, The Mail on Sunday revealed that Mr Beckham, 47, had signed the Qatar deal. Last month, the former England captain released a promotional video describing the Middle East nation as ‘perfection’.
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