Beckham Defends Qatar World Cup Partnership, Says He Has "No Regrets"

David Beckham has defended his decision to work with Qatar to promote the 2022 World Cup, saying he believes it is important to engage with countries that have different cultures and values.

David Beckham, a brand ambassador for Qatar, has been criticized by some for his association with the country due to its poor human rights record and criminalization of homosexuality. In an interview with the Telegraph, Beckham defended his decision to work with Qatar, saying that he believes "football has a power to bring people together" and that he is "hopeful that the World Cup will be a positive force for change in Qatar."

“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.”Of course going into this, 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”.