Watch: David Beckham Embroiled in Fresh Qatar Controversy

Soccer legend and longtime purported LGBTQ+ ally David Beckham drew criticism for his ambassadorial role for the homophobic nation of Qatar's hosting of last year's World Cup, a role he accepted in late 2021.

Now his defense of that role has sparked new backlash, according to Metro.

Metro recalled that Beckham raked in millions for the ambassadorial role, for which he signed on even though Qatar's laws "ban same-sex relationships under threat of imprisonment or even the death penalty."

The controversy reignited when Beckham, in comments made to Sky News on the red carpet at the premiere of a Netflix documentary about him, said that gay soccer fans told him their experience in the anti-gay nation was a good one and that it was "the safest World Cup they'd had for a long time."

But others didn't venture to the infamously anti-gay nation out of a sense of principle. "Some LGBT fans boycotted the tournament over Qatar's treatment of gay people," the BBC related, adding that "conditions migrant workers lived and worked in while building the World Cup stadiums and male guardianship rules that curtail women's freedoms also came under intense scrutiny."

Beckham insisted that, "In every partnership I go into... we always do our homework on everything," and added, "I've always said that football is a game that should be shared around the world."

Questions even swirl about the Netflix doc, titled simply "Beckham," having edited out mention of the criticism leveled at the former Manchester United midfielder in the months leading up to Qatar's hosting of the event last November.

"While director Fisher Stevens confirmed that a conversation about the controversy was filmed, he ultimately chose not to include it in the final edit as it felt 'kind of dated,'" Yahoo! Sports reported.

Watch Beckham's comments to Sky News below. His comments about Qatar start at about the 1:31 mark.