Joe Lycett shreds £10k in livestream as David Beckham fails to end Qatar deal

Joe Lycett has shredded £10,000 on a livestream after David Beckham refused to meet his demands to pull out of his role as a Qatar ambassador.

The comic issued an ultimatum to the former England player after he reportedly accepted £10m in a sponsorship deal with Qatar, despite their record on human rights being widely criticised.

Homosexuality is illegal in the country, selected by FIFA to host the 2022 World Cup, with anyone found guilty of same-sex sexual activity being punished with up to seven years in prison.

Lycett, from Birmingham, unveiled his plans to shred £10k of his own money – along with Beckham’s “status as gay icon” – if the former England player failed to end his sponsorship deal before the tournament began.

He said the money would be donated to LGBTQ+ charities if he pulled out.

However, as a result of Beckham’s failure to cut ties with Qatar, Lycett has now gone through with his pledge and shredded £10k (symbolising £1000 for ever million Beckham is reportedly receiving) in a live stream.

@joelycett

The video was broadcast on a website set up by Lycett entitled BendersLikeBeckham.com.

The comedian shared the video to Twitter and captioned it “A platform for progress”.

In his first address to Beckham, Lycett told the footballer: “If you end your relationship with Qatar I will donate ten grand of my own money (that’s a grand for every million you’re reportedly getting) to charities that support queer people in football.

“However, if you do not I will throw the money into a shredder at midday next Sunday, just before the opening ceremony of the World Cup and stream it right here.

“Not just the money, but also your status as gay icon will be shredded.

“Also you’ll be forcing me to commit what might be a crime. Although even then, I reckon I’ll get off more lightly than I would if I got caught whacking off a lad in Doha.”

Beckham has not yet publicly acknowledged the ultimatum, however Lycett set a 24 hour countdown to the shredding, ending at midday in time for the World Cup kick-off.