Neville travelled to Qatar to interview Beckham
Gary Neville has been criticised for filming the latest instalment of The Overlap, in which he interviews former Manchester United and England teammate David Beckham, in Qatar.
Beckham became an ambassador for Qatar ahead of this year’s World Cup last year, having previously played for Qatar-owned Paris Saint-Germain at the end of his career.
The former England captain’s decision to take the role provoked a backlash, with Amnesty International urging him to use the position to raise awareness of the country’s human rights record.
Preparations for the tournament have been overshadowed by a stream of concerning headlines about – amongst other things – the country’s treatment of migrant workers and LGBTQ+ people.
Though, on the face of it, Neville’s interview with Beckham is nothing more than an innocent conversation between friends, the decision to film in Qatar has been criticised by some.
My full episode with David is out now on The Overlap ❤️
We chat about why our England team didn't win , our hopes for The World Cup and so much more
Give it a watch if you like 👍 https://t.co/xYpKCbaKFe pic.twitter.com/uuvj6L1HcX
— Gary Neville (@GNev2) June 16, 2022
The latest episode has received strong backlash
Some of those who have watched the episode were left frustrated by the pundit’s lack of questioning on Qatar’s human rights record.
Oliver Young-Miles of the iPaper described the episode as “brazen sportswashing.”
He said: “Gary Neville’s Overlap with David Beckham was a PR exercise for Qatar & the World Cup. Brazen sportswashing. Not a single mention of the 6,500+ migrants who’ve died building stadiums or women’s/LGBTQ+ rights. Just waffle about the nice facilities & ‘spreading the game’.”
Gary Neville’s Overlap with David Beckham was a PR exercise for Qatar & the World Cup. Brazen sportswashing.
Not a single mention of the 6,500+ migrants who’ve died building stadiums or women’s/LGBTQ+ rights.
Just waffle about the nice facilities & ‘spreading the game’.
— Oliver Young-Myles (@OMyles90) June 16, 2022
Grace Robertson echoed this, saying: “Normally they do these in some place that’s important to the guest. This one is in Qatar because… Qatar paid Beckham a lot of money to be an ambassador for the 2022 World Cup.”
Normally they do these in some place that's important to the guest. This one is in Qatar because… Qatar paid Beckham a lot of money to be an ambassador for the 2022 World Cup. https://t.co/yMMwNt8P9R
— Grace Robertson 🏳️⚧️ (@GraceOnFootball) June 16, 2022
Ben Allen added: “Re: Gary Neville having a jolly interview with David Beckham in Qatar you know it’s bad when even the youtube audience calls you out for dancing around human rights abuses.”
re: gary neville having a jolly interview with david beckham in qatar
you know it's bad when even the youtube audience calls you out for dancing around human rights abuses pic.twitter.com/zJ4UOQ9aSN
— Ben Allen (@benallenwf) June 16, 2022
Tom Canetti said: “Gary Neville @GNev2 has always championed rights for the working class in England against the elite. Would love to see him start doing the same thing in Qatar, instead of promoting an event built on modern slavery.”
Garry Neville @GNev2 has always championed rights for the working class in England against the elite. Would love to see him start doing the same thing in Qatar, instead of promoting an event built on modern slavery.
— Tom Canetti (@tomcanetti) June 17, 2022
Tariq Panja of the New York Times expressed his surprise that Beckham had not been asked about his role as ambassador for the tournament, despite the interview taking place in Qatar.
See David Beckham has given a long interview, discussed England’s chances at the World Cup in Qatar. But not asked about his role as an ambassador for that tournament in return for an eye watering sum of money. More than 18 months since he agreed the deal and never once said why.
— tariq panja (@tariqpanja) June 16, 2022
Hah! Had no idea the actual interview was filmed in Qatar! And still not asked about his deal to endorse the country. Bizarre
— tariq panja (@tariqpanja) June 16, 2022
Related links:
- New report says thousands of migrant worker deaths in Qatar remain unexplained
- Life in Qatar as a migrant worker: What it costs to build a World Cup
- Protestors at Qatar World Cup could face five-year prison sentence
