Have I Acquired Information For You Ian Hislop Pins Gary Neville Qatar World Cup – Deadline

A UK footballer turned commentator has been referred to as out on a TV quiz present for his hypocrisy in taking a World Cup commentary function in Qatar, the place he has beforehand highlighted human rights abuses.

Former Manchester United footballer Gary Neville – who often serves as a thorn within the Tory authorities’s facet along with his feedback on social media the place he voices his concern for much less nicely off folks – sparked a blacklash when it was introduced that he had agreed to be a pundit for Qatar’s state broadcaster beIN SPORTS for the World Cup – attributable to start later this month within the nation the place human rights abuses, lack of tolerance for minority teams and remedy of migrant employees have all led critics to query why the world’s greatest sports activities event is happening there.

When Neville made his debut because the visitor host of the BBC’s topical information quiz Have I Acquired Information For You on Friday, the workforce captains Ian Hislop (editor of Non-public Eye, and one other frequent thorn within the authorities’s facet) and comic Paul Merton didn’t let Neville slip by means of their fingers.

Neville has beforehand insisted he’ll “by no means shrink back” from highlighting controversial points whereas working for the broadcaster.

However Hislop questioned him, saying: “You don’t need to go and take the Qatari’s cash. I’m not attempting to be tiresome, however it’s simply not an excellent defence.”

Opening a section on the upcoming World Cup, Neville requested Hislop: “Ian, is it coming residence?”

Hislop replied: “What, your fame?” And so it continued… watch their full change within the clip above.

The commentator just isn’t alone in coming underneath fireplace for selecting to take part on this yr’s World Cup. Robbie Williams and the Black-Eyed Peas have been criticised for agreeing to carry out on the occasion, whereas David Beckham has obtained an enormous backlash, significantly as a longtime public champion of LGBT rights, for performing an ambassadorial function for the Qataris, in a deal reported to have introduced him £10million ($11.4million).

Neville has defended his former team-mate Beckham, by pointing to the latter’s long-standing relationship with the Qataris.

“[People forget] Beckham went to play for PSG who had Qatari possession,” he stated.

“Beckham to be honest to him has a relationship with the Qataris by means of his relationship with PSG, and the work he has carried out by way of amplifying our nation by means of the world might be second to none up to now 5 to 10 years.”