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5th November 2022
09:45am GMT
"Which I must say I'm very surprised about given all the comments that Robbie Williams has made in the past about gay rights. The fact that he's going out there to sing is extraordinary. I don't know what's happened to people. And it's not just him, the Black Eyed Peas are going, aren't they?"
After Neville was asked if he knew Robbie Williams, Paul Merton asked him, "But you know David Beckham, don't you? He's going, isn't he? How much is he being paid?" The former footballer simply replied "I don't know, more than me!" before turning to Ian Hislop and asking: "Is it coming home?" [caption id="attachment_366131" align="alignnone" width="980"]
Hislop seemed less than impressed by Neville's justification for working in Qatar (BBC)[/caption]
Never one to shy away from confronting a guest on the show about topics, Hislop quickly hit back: "What, your reputation?"
This is where things got a little more awkward for the football pundit, with Hislop confronting him on the "elephant in the room."
In October, the former Manchester United star confirmed he would be working for Qatar's state-owned beIN Sports during the 2022 World Cup.
At the same time, he vowed to continue to shine a light on the wider issues relating to the country's hosting of the tournament.
Pressed on why he will work for beIN Sports during the tournament, Neville responded "Yeah, I'm commentating" before trying to defend his position.
He continued: "Well, you've got a choice, haven't you? My view always has been that you either highlight the issues and challenges in these countries and speak about them, or you basically don't say anything and stay back home and don't go. And I think we should challenge them."
Hislop then pointed out that perhaps the pundit could "stay at home and highlight the abuse." He then joked about the idea of Neville criticising Qatar whilst commentating on matches.
You can watch the exchange below.
https://twitter.com/emilyhewertson/status/1588672578595721217
Last month, Neville attempted to defend his decision to work in Qatar and insisted he would shine a light on the country's awful human rights record.
"Qatar have had Amnesty International and the International Labour Organisation all over them for the last 10 years because of the World Cup. We either decide that we collaborate with these countries, and try and impact change through football," he told the Daily Mail.
"Or we say we're never going to let them play sport, we're never going to have a World Cup there, we're never going to allow them to compete against us because they don't have what would be as progressive rights as they should have.
"That is the reality of where I'm at with it. There's no-one that I think wants workers' rights to be better than me, there's no-one who wants women's rights, equality or diversity more than me, I absolutely believe in it.
"When I highlight these issues, I can do so from a position whereby if I am covering eight games on beIN in a World Cup, and those issues come up or there's an incident outside the stadium, I will highlight them. I will never shy away from it."
Many praised Hislop for confronting Neville over the topic.
https://twitter.com/Andy_Wheatley/status/1588646986819203072
https://twitter.com/EssexPR/status/1588689307413647360
Qatar's human rights record has been under intense scrutiny since the tournament was awarded to the country in 2010.
The country has faced huge criticism for its stance on same-sex relationships, its human rights record and its treatment of migrant workers.
A report by The Guardian last year claimed over 6,500 had died in the country since they were selected as World Cup hosts.
Neville's fellow pundit Jamie Carragher has already made his feelings on Qatar hosting the World Cup very clear, labelling it "corrupt."
The tournament gets underway on November 20.
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