Ex-Manchester United and Real Madrid superstar David Beckham has explained why he accepted the mammoth £125 million (R2.8 billion) offer from Qatar to help promote the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
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The Inter Miami co-owner was among several high-profile individuals to receive criticism for agreeing to become an ambassador for the Middle Eastern country's hosting of the tournament.
Beckham, along with FIFA and many other organisations, came under fire due to Qatar's poor human rights record, a topic widely discussed in the build-up to and during the World Cup in the Gulf nation.
It has been reported that the former England captain pocketed a whopping £125 million for agreeing to the 10-year deal, but he has since insisted his decision was motivated by the expansion of the game.
"I do a lot of research into partners that I'm going into business with. And I wanted to be involved in another World Cup. I like to see the game grow, and that means it going into territories it hasn't been in before," he said, according to the Daily Telegraph.
"I knew there'd be questions, I knew there was going to be criticism, but I've always been a believer that football is such a powerful tool. I knew that once the World Cup started, not that it would go away, but it was all then about how people were treated, how people weren't excluded, what an experience the World Cup would be.
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"I spent a month out there, and not one person came up to me and said, 'Oh my God, I've been treated like this; oh my God, I wasn't allowed into this place…' I was around the LGBTQ community, I spoke to people on the ground. So, I was happy with my decision."
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