David Beckham has responded to leaked emails which suggested the former England captain and ex-Manchester United midfielder involved himself in charity work to help him secure a Knighthood, insisting that they had been “hacked and doctored” to “deliberately” paint him in an unfavorable light.
As reported by The Sun the alleged hacked emails, which dated back to 2013 and were publshed by Football Leaks, also suggested that Beckham made abusive comments towards the UK’s Honours Committee in anger about being overlooked for a Knighthood; questioned an OBE awarded to singer Katherine Jenkins, referencing a past admission that she had taken drugs, and reacted negatively regarding a suggested donation to Unicef, of which he is a Goodwill Ambassador.
In a lengthy statement (via Digital Spy) a spokesperson for Beckham said: “This story is based on outdated material taken out of context from hacked and doctored private emails from a third party server and gives a deliberately inaccurate picture.
“David Beckham and Unicef have had a powerful partnership in support of children for over 15 years. The David Beckham 7 Fund specifically has raised millions of pounds and helped millions of vulnerable children around the world. David Beckham has given significant time and energy and has made personal financial donations to the 7 Fund and this commitment will continue long term.
“Before establishing the 7 Fund, David had supported Unicef and a number of other charities over many years, including donating his entire earnings from PSG during his time playing there.
“David and Unicef are rightly proud of what they have and will continue to achieve together and are happy to let the facts speak for themselves.”
According to further reports, once the hackers got hold of the emails they demanded one million euros from Doyen Sports, the sports agency that represents Beckham, before making the messages public, with police in Portugal investigating the attempted blackmail for a year.
However, Beckham was not the explicit target of the hack, a source told the Daily Mirror, but was "caught in the crossfire".
A source said: "They approached by email and attempted to meet via another third party. They said we have all this information and you have to pay up. It was blackmail, pure and simple."
A statement released by Unicef on Saturday read: “UNICEF has become aware of media reports relating to 7: The David Beckham Unicef Fund.
“Some reports relate to alleged private correspondence between our ambassador and other parties, which we have not seen and cannot comment upon.
“As well as generously giving his time, energy and support to help raise awareness and funds for UNICEF’s work for children, David has given significant funds personally.”