The comic and TV presenter went through with his promise - but the deed is causing some havoc online.
UPDATE: This afternoon, Joe Lycett released a new video admitting that the shredding video was doctored. When he initially set the ultimatum for David Beckham last week, he had already donated £10,000 to LGBTQ+ sports charities, as he "never expected to hear" from the sports star. He did, however, shred Beckham's Attitude Magazine cover from 2002.
The original story follows.
Joe Lycett apparently went through with his side of the David Beckham bargain, shredding £10,000 of his own money. The entertainer had given the football star an ultimatum at the beginning of last week - either renounce your involvement with the World Cup or he will destroy the sum of money.
Lycett had given Beckham until the beginning of the opening ceremony of the sports event yesterday to reply, but heard no response from him or his team.
Taking to Twitter yesterday afternoon, he titled the live-streamed video: "A platform for progress."
The former Manchester United footballer signed a deal with FIFA and this year's World Cup host nation of Qatar that will see the sports star reportedly earn himself somewhere between £10 - £150 million. The World Cup being hosted in Qatar has been controversial in itself, due to the lack of LGBTQ+ rights in the middle-eastern country. Many believe one of the richest countries in the world was chosen as the host country purely based on how much money they could throw at FIFA.
Joe Lycett attempted to catch Beckham's attention by saying he would be shredding £10,000 if he doesn't withdraw his involvement with the controversial event. If he did withdraw, Lycett was going to donate his money to LGBTQ+ sports charities.
Lycett's dramatic showcase has proven to be a divisive move. Some have been highlighting the fact that he could have donated the money to charity, regardless; while others believe that the act speaks volumes when there was radio silence from the Beckham family.
*But was it real money? The jury's out on that one.
Yesterday, the World Cup opening ceremony took place in Qatar, which featured a number of guest stars, including a bizarre Morgan Freeman appearance with Qatari YouTuber Ghanim Al Muftah.
Freeman asked the YouTuber with a rare spinal condition, "Am I welcome?" who then responded with, "We sent out the call because everyone is welcome, this is an invitation to the whole world."
