Earthshot Prize: David Beckham branded a ‘hypocrite’ as viewers slam him for jetting from Qatar World Cup to US awards ceremony

David Beckham has received backlash across social media after venturing to the US city of Boston to present an award at The Earthshot Prize ceremony.

The retired footballer, 47, from London, has attended several of England’s matches since he  became the face of the FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

His reported £10 million deal to be an ambassador for the Middle Eastern nation, sparked rage amid their human rights and LGBTQ+ issues.

Viewers of The Earthshot Prize took to Twitter on Sunday night criticising Beckham further, as he flew to the US to present a £1m award in the Build a Waste-Free World.

One person wrote: “David Beckham should be nowhere near this, he is literally the ambassador for the World Cup with the biggest ever carbon footprint, absolute hypocrite #EarthShotPrize”

Another said: “#earthshot are they joking. You have royals flying in for 3 days, using gas guzzling cars to get around. David Beckham flying Quatar to America and back. And you talk about climate change. Your all having a laugh. Practice what you preach.”

A third added: “David Beckham. Currently ambassador for the least sustainable and wasteful sporting event in history in Qatar.  Giving out the Earthshot award for solving wasteful issues?  You’re having a laugh. #EarthShotPrize”

The audience went wild when Beckham took to the stage as host Clara Amfo described him as “one of the greatest players to have ever graced a football pitch” and a “dedicated Unicef ambassador.”

He spoke of feeling “honoured” that Prince William asked him to be involved in the event, before saying: “Now, I’m an optimist because humans are capable of great creativity when we collaborate.

“We create beauty in art, music, film, and of course, sport. We create things that bring us comfort in this challenging world.

“But, we also create waste. We make over 300 million tonnes of plastic per year. That’s the equivalent, in weight, to every adult on Earth.”

He praised the work of the finalists and announced Notpla as the winner of the Build a Waste-Free World category.

Despite the audience delighting over David Beckham’s attendance at the event, social media users have continued to criticise his decision as it comes after he previously jetted from Qatar to London to attend an event with wife Victoria.

“I think its great William focuses on existential climate crisis. BUT having hypocritical private jetsetter, £150m oil criminal Qatari propagandist & ultimate destructive consumption profiteer David Beckham as a host damages the cause. 🤮” one wrote.

Another said: “Not only did David Beckham (Mr. Qatar and hypocrite) turn up at the Earth Shot he was actually invited to present one of the prizes by Prince William.  PW needs to choose people that deserve it, not this I will do anything for money man.”