To wish David Beckham and Robbie Williams would just admit ...

[strawberriesplease]

They've taken the Qatar gig for the money and screw everyone else.

Beckham saying it's to support future progress and Williams saying people complaining are doing so on Chinese technology so it's hypocritical.

Just own it. You love the money so much, despite already having huge wealth, you just couldn't resist it.

Well said!

This is also about Qataris who have to live with this oppression - it's twisting the knife. But everytime there are people posting about shit it is, and how they hate it, it shows that there are people who do actually care.

The other effect is that this will ensure no major events will go to other gulf states or African countries for another generation.

The argument at the time against Qatar was that they weren't ready for it.

Thats going to hold true.

Meanwhile the Grand Prix is happening in Abu Dhabi this weekend.

Exactly, sports people have a limited shelf life, if they don't play in the tournament for political reasons they may never get another chance. A similar thing happened following the Moscow Olympics boycott.

No they make a living from club football !

They are not contracted to play for their countries

I agree but at the same time, hope you also refuse to watch any of the games.

I will be watching all the games. We have TV's set up at work specially so that people can watch the games while they work. I don't see why FIFA's stupid decision to hold the tournament in Qatar should deprive people of something they look forward to that happens only once every 4 years.

To be fair, they are all linked. Whether she likes it or not, Kirsty from Scunthorpe can only afford a smartphone for her side hustle because it was made cheaply thanks to employment practices Kirsty would never tolerate herself. Millionnaires buying ethically made, expensive smartphones will not do anything to stop the trade of cheap, unethical smartphones, because there is a humongous market full of Kirstys to buy the cheap phones and only a tiny market of millionnaires able to shun them. No amount of millionnaires “setting an example” will therefore stop the abusive practices - it takes people who are actually hurt by their own changes of behaviour to nevertheless change their behaviour to make a difference.

With respect to building pointless stadia in inappropriate countries, however - football is, of course, not necessary to Kirsty in the way a smartphone is, unless she makes her living trying to sell football paraphernalia. So she could shun the football to make a point without particularly harming herself. She wouldn’t help any of the migrant workers in Qatar, though, because she would still be benefiting from UK trade with Qatar, as she wants access to affordable petrol, etc, so upsetting the Qataris is not in the UK agenda. Frankly, Kirsty wouldn’t give a damn about all the poor immigrants dying in Qatar if it were not for this inconvenient fact spoiling her football, as they were dying in Qatar long before they started building stadia for the World Cup, and Kirsty was happy to be blissfully unaware of this fact then.

Sadly YANBU Op. So disappointed in both of them.

Boy George kept a man hostage and beat him with a chain but it doesn't stop millions of people watching I'm a Celebrity.

Two wrongs don't make a right. I enjoyed watching Gary Neville squirm when asked to explain his decision on HIGNFY. A little more no that's wrong I'm not supporting this from people in public positions would be lovely to see.

Don’t watch I’m a celebrity but I’m appalled reading this.

People make excuses and forgive people for many different reasons.

We don't have to agree with them.

(I also haven't watched anything with BG in it for a long time.)

There seems to be to be a real reluctance in England to criticise David Beckham as if he is one of your darlings. Lots of excuses being made for him and whataboutisms. Qatar are homophobic and I did not see one woman at the opening game (except invited dignitaries). I will be watching no more of this debacle. He is a money grabbing egotist who likes nothing better than to be on centre stage flouncing around wearing his aviator sunglasses (look at me I'm cool just like Tom Cruise in Top Gun!) and meeting billionaires (he is trying to move in increasingly higher circles and may have already ditched some of his millionaire friends). Part of me feels sorry for him because he is weak, has no real sense of self and if all of this was taken from him I'm afraid he would feel like he was a non-person. Like he was not good enough. Another part of me is angry because he has no integrity, is self centred and greedy to boot especially during these times when so many are struggling. And by the way even ONE death due to poor working conditions while Beckham and his cronies swan about wining and dining and telling each other how great they are is too many!

Most people I know who are as angry about Qatar as I am wouldn't dream of going to dubai on holiday and have also been talking about this since they won hosting 10 years back. Nevermind Qatar as a place with its laws, just look at the "migrant" deaths as a direct result of building the stadiums (fyi they aren't migrants, they're slaves who have no choice in the matter).

Of course it was about the £££ - they were volunteering to go for free, we’re they?

Interesting that people are talking about this and not that Princes Foundation have accepted £4.5 million from Qatar