Joe Lycett has remained true to his word by shredding £10,000 of his own money after urging David Beckham to give up his role as an ambassador for the World Cup in Qatar.
The stunt, which was posted this afternoon to the website BenderslikeBeckham.com, showed Joe destroying the tender on the first day of the tournament which kicks off today with hosts Qatar playing Ecuador in the first match.
FIFA's decision to host the tournament in the middle eastern country has come under fire, because of its poor human rights history, mistreatment of migrants and criminalisation of homosexuality.
Beckham is one of the biggest public figures to back the decision, even appearing in promotional videos for the event.
Issuing an ultimatum, the funny man said he would donate the money to LGBT charities if Becks stood down - if not, he would shred the cash. Having been ignored by the former England captain, Joe did refused to back down.
In the 55-second clip, Lycett walks on screen in a puffy, tutu-like costume coloured with both the trans and gay pride flags. Brandishing a rather glum expression, Joe hurls what appears to be lumps of cash through a woodchipper in two goes, before curtseying and walking off.
While David did not officially respond to Joe, he previously said the international sporting event will be a "platform for progress". Speaking at the Supreme Committee’s “Generation Amazing” youth festival in Doha on November 17, he praised the nation for their handling of the occasion.
On November 14, Lycett shared a video to social media, giving the sporting hero one week to give up his role or waste the cash.
Joe said: "This is a message to David Beckham. I consider you along with Kim Woodburn and Monty Don to be a gay icon.
"You were the first Premiership footballer to do shoots with gay magazines like Attitude, speak openly about your gay fans, and you married a Spice Girl which is the gayest thing a human being can do.
"But now it's 2022 and you've signed a reported £10 million deal with Qatar to be their ambassador during the Fifa World Cup. Qatar was voted as one of the worst places in the world to be gay. Homosexuality is illegal, punishable by imprisonment and if you're Muslim possibly even death.
"You've always talked about the power of football as a force for good, which suggests to me that you've never seen West Brom. But generally I agree, so with that in mind, I'm giving you a choice.
"If you end your relationship with Qatar I'll donate this £10,000 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 at midday next Sunday I will throw this money into a shredder just before the opening ceremony of the world cup and stream it live on a website I registered...not just the money but also your status as a gay icon will be shredded you'll be forcing me to commit a crime.
"The choice is yours. I look forward to hearing from you."
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