SBF Goes WTF: 10 Things We Learned This Week

SBF Goes WTF: 10 Things We Learned This Week

The World Cup starts this Sunday in Qatar, but the pre-match coverage is less about the fitness of today’s players but those of its former stars — with speculation about fractured reputations and damaged integrity replacing those of broken metatarsals. It has been reported that David Beckham has been paid £150 million to be an “ambassador” for the event. His role includes filming aspirational video messages, which usurprisingly gloss over issues of LGBTQ+ rights and Qatar’s treatment of migrant workers. He has been widely criticised for helping Qatar "sports wash" its international reputation. But will the fee be enough to cover the potential damage to brand Beckham?

A combination of Brexit, a plummeting pound, and recession has seen Paris overtake London as Europe’s biggest stock market. The value of companies listed on the French bourse now stands at $2.823 trillion, edging it past the value of those listed on the London stock exchange ($2.821 trillion). Just prior to the Brexit vote, the value of London-listed shares was some $1.5 trillion more than those listed in France. London has not been helped by the pound falling faster against the dollar than the euro, and the slump in many UK-focused shares this year.