Brexit : David Beckham endorses Remain campaign

Former British footballer David Beckham

British football icon David Beckham has called on Britons to vote against leaving the European Union (EU) in a referendum later this week, saying that the bloc is like a football team where all players need to stand together.

“We live in a vibrant and connected world where together as a people we are strong. For our children and their children we should be facing the problems of the world together and not alone,” Beckham said in a Facebook statement posted on Tuesday.

Referring to Manchester United, the team that helped him rise to fame, Beckham said that while the team had great British players, it was “a better and more successful team” with its Danish goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel, Irish captain Roy Keane and French great Eric Cantona.

He added that his experience from living in Madrid, Milan and Paris encourage him even more to vote Remain, saying that he was welcomed by “passionate fans” all around the continent.

Britons are set to decide their country’s future in the EU via a referendum on June 23, and the majority of recent opinion polls suggest that the Remain camp is recovering its lead over the Leave, after a weak showing over the past two weeks.

“Whatever the result of Thursday's referendum, we will always be Great,” Beckham noted.

His statement came shortly after Premier League boss Richard Scudamore said all clubs in the league backed Remain as the country’s football would see less respect in the event of a Brexit and.

This is while former British footballers like John Barnes, David James and Sol Campbell have all expressed support for the Leave campaign.

According to the Daily Mail, the pro-EU campaign managed to open up a three-point lead following the fatal attack on Labour MP and Remain campaigner Jo Cox who was killed last Thursday.

Membership of the EU has been a controversial issue in the UK since the country joined the then European Economic Community in 1973.