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Gary Neville was left to squirm his way through hosting Have I Got News For You as the former Manchester United and England defender was grilled on his decision to work for state-owned broadcaster beIN Sports at the World Cup.
Neville, anchoring the BBC news show for the first time, was backed into a corner to defend his ‘reputation’ as the topic of him accepting money from a Qatari broadcaster was brought up.
Qatar’s human rights record has been heavily scrutinised in the years since they were awarded the World Cup by FIFA – with human rights groups furious at the lack of answers over deaths of migrant workers.
Neville is working for beIN Sports as a commentator throughout the World Cup and he looked to justify his decision by suggesting he can make a greater impact working for the broadcaster to highlight key social and political issues.
‘You know David Beckham, don’t you? He’s going, isn’t he? How much is he being paid?’ panellist Paul Merton asked Neville.
‘I don’t know,’ came Neville’s sheepish reply. ‘More than me!’
In a bid to try and take back control of the news agenda being debated on the show, Neville turned to Ian Hislop, a long-time panellist on the show, and asked if ‘it’s coming home?’
‘What, your reputation?’ came the terse reply.
Ian Hislop (right) grilled Gary Neville (left) over his decision to work as a commentator for state-owned broadcaster beIN Sports during the World Cup in Qatar this month
Hislop suggested Neville should have stayed away from Qatari money to challenge key issues
Hislop, editor of Private Eye, felt other panellists had been ‘very gentle’ with Neville be he ruthlessly went for the ex-footballer in search of answers as to why exactly he has accepted Qatari money.
‘The elephant in the room is you’re commentating there. What’s the defence?’ Hislop asked.
‘Yeah, I’m commentating,’ Neville said.
‘Well, you’ve got a choice, haven’t you? My view always has been that you either highlight the issues and…
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Source : dailymail
