He’s come under fire before but David Beckham was engulfed by a huge backlash last week after signing a £150m deal to be the “face of Qatar” for the 2022 World Cup – a country accused of human rights abuses and where homosexuality is illegal.
Campaigners slammed the “greedy” ex-footballer, 46 – reportedly already worth £360m – for “selling his soul”, with many calling on charity UNICEF to strip him of his ambassadorship, while Amnesty International UK urged David to “speak out” about the “deeply concerning human rights situation in the country”.
As part of his big-money deal, David must promote the country and encourage tourism – but that could prove difficult for him and wife Victoria due to its controversial laws and customs. Homosexuality is punishable by imprisonment, with “conversion” treatments reportedly still taking place, while women are treated as second-class citizens who require permission from a man to marry, work and travel.
There are also reports of forced labour within the nation and, earlier this year, it was revealed a shocking 6,500 migrant workers had died on major building programmes in Qatar since it won the right to host the World Cup 10 years ago, with 37 deaths being directly linked to the construction of the stadiums, where exhausted workers have collapsed on site.
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Veteran LGBTQ activist Peter Tatchell called David’s latest move “really disappointing”, adding, “He has made a huge mistake.” Fans also hit out at the star, with one furiously commenting, “This World Cup needs to be boycotted, and if Beckham does this, he needs to be boycotted forever.” Another tagged him as they Tweeted, “Money more important than human rights abuses and the appalling treatment of women? How could you betray integrity?”
His deal was first reported in February but came under fresh scrutiny after it was confirmed during a secret meeting in Qatar capital Doha last week – which David had seemingly tried to keep under wraps despite usually sharing his globe-trotting adventures with his 69 million Instagram followers.
And insiders say designer Posh – whose struggling fashion brand is said to have racked-up losses of £46m since its launch – fears David’s latest “mistake” could destroy Brand Beckham.
A source says, “Of course Vic was consulted over David’s deal but she’s devastated by the backlash it’s caused, and trying to get her head around how they can get back from this.
“She had her reservations, but never dreamed it would backfire like this. The World Cup is massive and she believed it’d be a major coup having David as the face of it and really cement his power.”
The source adds, “Vic was distraught when the backlash began to snowball. Her worst fear is that it could destroy everything they’ve worked so hard for, and even harm their friendships. She’s feeling really miserable about it.”
Check out: remember the 2006 WAGS? Here's what they're all doing now
The UK Wags - where are they now? - slider
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1 of 9Victoria Beckham
One half of the indestructible Beckham brand, Victoria was the original Queen WAG in 2006. At the time Victoria had been married to David for seven years and had just given birth to her third boy, Cruz. She had also just launched her denim line, dvb Style and walked the catwalk for Roberto Cavalli. Over a decade later, she is a fully fledged and well respected fashion designer, with a fourth addition to her brood – the adorable Harper.
2 of 9Coleen Rooney
Coleen rose to fame as a WAG at just 20 years old. Coleen and Wayne are married and they celebrated their ten-year anniversary in 2018. However, Wayne's repeated cheating has strained the relationship over the years. They have four children together, Kai, Klay, Kit and Cass. Since 2006 Coleen has released a fitness DVD, been a style advisor for Littlewoods and even had a column with us in Closer magazine.
3 of 9Cheryl
How could we forget Cheryl as a WAG? Back then, 23-year-old Cheryl was a popstar in Girls Aloud who had just married Ashley Cole. Nowadays, Cheryl is a household name and a worldwide celebrity in her own right. After splitting from Ashley in 2010, she had a successful (well, successful-ish) solo career, was a judge on The X Factor and was the face of beauty brand L'Oreal. She married Jean-Bernard Fernandez-Versini in 2016 but they divorced three months later. Most recently, Cheryl separated from One Direction singer, Liam Payne, who she has a baby son called Bearwith.
4 of 9Abbey Clancy
Abbey first grabbed our attention in 2006 as one of the finalists in Britain's Next Top Model. She began dating Peter Crouch that same year and the pair are now married with three kids Sophia Ruby, Liberty Rose and baby Johnny. Lingerie model Abbey went on to win Strictly Come Dancing in 2013 and she returned to Britain's Next Top Model as the show's presenter. Not bad work, eh?
5 of 9Danielle Lloyd
Danielle Lloyd was dating footballer Teddy Sheringham when she gained her WAG status. At the time, her title as Miss Great Britain was a controversial matter and she was later stripped of it. Fast forward to now and Danielle has appeared on TV shows such as Celebrity Big Brother, Total Wipeout, The Weakest Link and even Come Dine With Me. She has three sons, Archie, Harry and George with her now ex-husband Jamie O'Hara. Danielle gave birth to a fourth child with her husband Michael O'Neill, Ronnie, in 2017.
6 of 9Elen Rivas
Elen Rivas was engaged to Frank Lampard at the time of the 2006 World Cup, and was a permanent fixture in the WAG circle. After splitting from Frank after a seven-year relationship, she dated Peter Andre, appeared on Dancing On Ice and now looks after her two daughters Luna and Isla while working as a model. Frank has since married TV presenter Christine Bleakley and they've welcomed their daughter Patricia into the world.
7 of 9Louise Owen
Despite being married to one of the most famous footballers at the time, Louise Owen wasn't your stereotype WAG. She has always managed to keep her distance from the limelight. Her passion is rescuing race horses and she currently lives in Wales with her husband Michael and their four children, Gemma, James, Jessica and Emily.
8 of 9Carly Zucker
Now known as Carly Cole after marrying midfielder Joe Cole in Chelsea in 2009, Carly loved to party during the 2006 World Cup (we know the feeling). She then spent two weeks in the jungle during I'm A Celeb in 2009 before being the third to be booted out. Carly and Joe have had three children, Ruby, Harrison and Max together.
9 of 9Alex Curran
Former nail technician Alex Curran began dating Liverpool player Steven Gerrard in 2002. She was one of the leading figures in the 2006 WAG squad. The pair married in 2007 and they have had four children together, Lexie, Lio, Lord, Lilly-Ella. Fashion lover Alex has released a perfume, fronted a Lipsy campaign and written a weekly shopping column for a national newspaper.
David has long been dubbed a “gay icon” in the LGBTQ community and both he and Victoria have a close circle of gay friends, including their BFFs, Elton John, 74, and his husband, David Furnish, 59 – with the Rocket Man singer being godfather to their eldest sons, Brooklyn, 21, and Romeo, 22.
The source says, “Vic’s concerned that her gay friends and colleagues might see David’s deal as a betrayal and not want to associate with them. The worst thing for her would to be cut off by their dearest friends over something like this.”
Throughout their 21-year marriage, the couple have weathered many storms that have tarnished their carefully cultivated reputation. David went from hero to villain after he was sent off during the 1998 World Cup against Argentina – with fans furiously burning an effigy of the shamed footballer.
And in 2017, he faced arguably the most damaging scandal of his career when his emails were hacked – exposing a series of damning conversations between him and his advisors in what became dubbed “Beckileaks”.
The charitable star allegedly blasted the UK’s honours committee as “unappreciative c---s” amid his fury over missing out on a knighthood, and apparently branded singer Katherine Jenkins’ OBE a “f-----g joke”.
And when the pandemic struck last March, Posh faced the public’s wrath when it was revealed she was using tax-payers’ money to furlough staff at her fashion label despite her family’s fortune – a decision she reversed after fierce criticism.
The latest backlash comes just weeks after Posh checked into a £4,000-a-week retreat in Germany amid reports her career and popularity are dwindling. She was said to be “humiliated” by reports of plummeting Instagram “likes”, while her fashion line is struggling. The retreat, which offers a team of therapists to help “restore emotional balance”, has become Posh’s go-to place when she’s in turmoil – she also spent time there in 2018 after David described their marriage as “hard work” forcing them to shut-down divorce rumours.
Last week, Posh appeared to put on a brave face, showing off pictures of David with their kids. The source adds, “Vic’s called on her friends, including Kim Kardashian and Eva Longoria, for advice. She just wants people to know that David’s deal wasn’t a show of support of Qatar’s policies, but to work alongside those in power to influence changes in their laws.
“At her lowest moments, she fears brands will no longer want to work with them, as they won’t want to associate with the controversy. She knows the fallout could continue for far longer than they ever imagined.”
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Alex Silver, head of celebrity consultancy Alex Silver PR, says, “From a PR perspective, the decision for David to take on this ambassador role doesn’t make sense – particularly for a couple who are so incredibly brand-conscious. Clearly, the only reason they have said yes to this is for the money, but this decision could impact future opportunities. Getting into bed with Qatar is just a total PR disaster – it’s extremely short-sighted of them.
“These are big controversies they are dealing with here – human rights issues, for example. In this day and age, you really can’t get away with promoting something like this in the West. I think that if David goes ahead with this, they’ll lose credibility and a fanbase, and, with the cancel culture world we live in, a lot of brands aren’t going to want to work with them.
“The only way to salvage it now is to bow out. It’ll be interesting to see whether they respond to the backlash, as we’ve seen previously that they do respond to criticism. Victoria backtracked on using the furlough scheme for her company because of public opinion, for example.
“In the past, the Beckhams have got away with a lot and they have good PR spin, but I don’t think that they’ll be able to bounce back from this. They have to say, having considered it, it’s not a good fit and it’s not representative of their beliefs as a family.
“I think if they go ahead, it could be an indication that they’re keen to retire imminently, after getting the paycheck. I can’t think of another reason they’d think it was a good idea.”