(Observer.com ) According to the "New York Times " report on December 16, World Cup host Qatar spent 150 million pounds (about 1.28 billion yuan) to invite British star David Beckham to serve as image ambassador, but in the eyes of some Qatari officials, the money is not worth it.
reported that although Beckham's advertisements are everywhere after the opening, he rarely appears in public. When attending the fan meeting, the Beckham team also asked the organizers not to announce his itinerary in advance and not to have reporters present, as if to avoid being asked about the controversial issues about the host.
In response to this, Beckham did not respond positively to the question, but said, "We understand that the outside world has different and strong views on participating in Middle East affairs, but we believe that the hosting of the first World Cup in the Middle East directly inspired discussions on key issues, which is positive."
In order to enhance the country's image, Qatar invited many celebrities to Doha to promote the World Cup, including reaching an agreement with a group of retired legendary stars, inviting them to participate in publicity activities and interact with fans. Among them, the organizer's biggest investment is to invite Beckham to serve as image ambassador.
According to previous reports by many British media, Beckham signed a £150 million endorsement contract with Qatar in 2021, with a contract period of 10 years. During the contract period, Beckham will promote Qatar's tourism and cultural undertakings and serve as the official ambassador for the 2022 Qatar World Cup.
However, after the opening of this World Cup, Beckham faced doubts about not doing anything with money. The New York Times published an article titled "The Missing Spokesperson of the World Cup" on the 16th, saying that there was a strange phenomenon, that is, Beckham "at once everywhere but also nowhere."
During the World Cup, Beckham's image could be seen on billboards all over Doha. During the intermission of each game, his advertisements were played on TV. The former England captain promoted Qatar's cultural activities on various social platforms, and also visited the training base when " Three Lions Legion " was not eliminated. In addition, his figure often appeared in VIP seats in the stadium.
On the other hand, this ambassador rarely attends publicity activities publicly and is unwilling to face interviews from non-sponsor staff.
A few days ago, the Qatar World Cup Organizing Committee invited Beckham and several other retired stars to attend a fan meeting and arranged for them to be interviewed by the organizing committee staff. Beckham's team agreed to his request for attendance, but set two conditions: he could not announce in advance that he would attend, and could not notify reporters. This is seen as deliberately avoiding sensitive questions.
Beckham, who was previously regarded as the defender of LGBTQ rights, was caught in controversy over collecting money as the image ambassador of the Qatar World Cup after Western media kept accusing Qatar of human rights issues, stance on homosexuality and treatment of foreign workers.
The New York Times quoted several insiders as saying that although Beckham and others were already waiting, the fan meeting event was not completed because not many fans came.
In the face of controversy, on December 16, local time, Beckham's public relations staff issued a statement to the New York Times. The statement said: "David has participated in many World Cups and other important international events as a player and image ambassador. He has always believed that sports can become a force for the world to be good. We understand that the outside world has different and strong opinions on participating in Middle East affairs, but we believe that the hosting of the first World Cup in the Middle East directly inspired discussions on key issues, which is positive. We hope that these dialogues can enhance the understanding of everyone and empathize with and make progress in this regard."
This statement is a unified response from the Beckham team in the face of recent controversy, and many Western media have also received this response. But the New York Times said that for some Qatari officials, Beckham's performance of endorsing Qatar "reluctantly" has caused months of concern.In their opinion, Beckham's practice of not expressing opinions and avoiding media questions is to use his influence to create counterproductive effects, and Western media's scrutiny of Qatar has become even worse.
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