The latest batch of emails from online whistleblower Football Leaks cast David Beckham, one of England’s most liked and talented footballers, in a particularly poor light. While Mr Beckham says the missives are doctored, the impression garnered by any reader is of a vain, jealous, greedy man whose charitable work is part of a PR campaign to get a gong. In one particularly resonant phrase he chides his PR man for suggesting he put in a million dollars to help the UN. “If there was no fund, the money would be for me. This fucking money is mine,” comes the response. It strikes a chord – not just because the apparent entitlement makes it so funny; also because the cupidity it reveals is a wonderful illustration of why we can’t rely on charity and benevolence to replace the welfare state, or even to prop it up.
There’s a question too about Football Leaks: is it a group of tech-savvy fans, driven by a need to expose malpractice and hypocrisy or is it a darker prank by trolls? The evidence seems to be the former. The organisation has exposed controversial player-investment businesses that were later banned; revealed Real Madrid paid more for Gareth Bale than for Cristiano Ronaldo, the club’s talismanic forward who is touchy about the idea he’s not the greatest; and claimed top stars avoided paying tax on millions of dollars of earnings by channelling the money abroad. Being embarrassed, Mr Beckham, appears the least of your worries.
