Gary Neville will work for beIN SPORTS at World Cup, but insists it does NOT make him a ‘hypocrite’
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Gary Neville reveals he will work for Qatari state broadcaster beIN SPORTS at the World Cup – but insists this does NOT make him a ‘hypocrite’ and says he will continue to highlight human rights issues ‘as I have for years’
- Gary Neville has confirmed he will work for beIN SPORTS at the World Cup
- The tournament will be controversially hosted in the Arab country of Qatar this winter
- Neville’s Future Employers, beIN SPORTS, are Qatar’s state broadcaster
- The expert was accused of being a ‘hypocrite’ given their human rights issues
- And he insisted he will continue to highlight such abuses ‘as I have for years’
- Click here for all the latest 2022 World Cup news and updates
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Gary Neville has denied allegations of ‘hypocrisy’ after revealing he will work for beIN SPORTS at the World Cup in Qatar.
The expert will be employed by both the British TV channel ITV and BeIN SPORTS, the Qatari state broadcaster, during the upcoming winter tournament.
The Arab country hosting the contest is hugely controversial, given their numerous human rights violations, but Neville insisted he will continue to highlight such issues “as I have for years,” despite working for their own broadcaster.
He said: ‘Yes, I’m going to the World Cup and yes, I work for ITV and beIN. I will shed light on those matters as I have done for years!’
The first tweet, from an account now deleted, read: ‘@GNev2 I bet you have nothing to say about slavery and racism in Qatar, do you?
‘Are you still going to the @FIFAWorldCup? Still dodging tax Gary? How much are you worth Gerrit? Are you blue collar? #Hypocrites.’
Gary Neville (pictured) has denied accusations of hypocrisy after revealing he will work for Qatar’s state broadcaster beIN SPORTS during the controversial upcoming World Cup in Qatar.
Qatar has faced strong criticism from human rights groups over its treatment of migrant workers in the run-up to the tournament, with “thousands” allegedly injured or killed during infrastructure construction.
Concerns have also been raised about the safety of LGBTQA+ England fans traveling to the final in Qatar this winter, where same-sex relationships and promoting same-sex relationships are a criminal offence.
Football Association CEO Mark Bullingham said last month he had been given assurances that LGBTQA+ fans would not be arrested for holding hands in public.
England captain Harry Kane will continue to wear a rainbow-colored anti-discrimination armband during the team’s World Cup matches.
Kane first wore the armband during England’s recent Nations League defeat to Italy, after the FA joined nine other European federations, including the Football Association of Wales, in support of a season-long OneLove campaign against discrimination.
In this context, Neville, who works for beIN SPORTS – Qatar state-owned beIN and the largest and official national broadcaster, such as the BBC in Britain – raises questions.
The 47-year-old made a documentary called “Gary Neville in Qatar” in 2019, in which he questioned the suitability of a country with numerous human rights violations to host a global tournament.
However, it was widely condemned for not reaching far enough and not getting answers to the difficult questions it asked about FIFA’s corruption in awarding the tournament to Qatar, and the deaths of migrant workers.
He was also criticized after making an episode of his ‘The Overlap’ series with former Manchester United team-mate David Beckham, who will be paid £10 million for an ambassadorial role for the country, in Qatar.
Oliver Young-Myles of iPaper tweeted: “(It) was a PR exercise for Qatar and the World Cup. Brutal sports washing. Not a single mention of the more than 6,500 migrants who have died building stadiums or women’s/LGBTQ+ rights.’
Beckham has also been accused of ‘wiping out hope’ for the LGBT+ community in Qatar because of his advocacy work.
dr. Nas Mohamed, who was the first Qatari to come out publicly as gay, has criticized Beckham heavily for his role.
As reported by The independentMohamed wrote an open letter to Beckham accusing the former England star of “taking money and looking the other way.”
Mohamed wrote: ‘You are wiping out hope for the LGBT community in Qatar.
“You show up… take money and look the other way. In addition, you are sending a message that there is really no chance for us to escape our current persecution and live free.
“This condoning of the persecution of the LGBT+ community in Qatar not only takes away the pain of those who suffer, but also undermines their asylum claims if they escape. After all, if David Beckham describes Qatar as ‘perfection’, how bad can it be?’
Earlier this month, calls for football’s global governing body to contribute to a workers’ compensation scheme received wide public support.
Human rights campaign groups, including Amnesty International, have called on FIFA to set aside $440 million (£380 million) to support the plan – equivalent to the amount it will hand out in World Cup prize money.
