David Beckham in furious row with ex-F1 boss during explosive New Year’s Eve
David Beckham once had a furious row with former McLaren F1 chief Ron Dennis while the pair were on holiday at a resort in the Maldives.
The incident occurred on New Year's Eve in 2016, with Beckham said to have been left furious by a comment Dennis made. The pair were holidaying with their families at the luxury Amilla Fushi resort, with the Beckhams seeing in the New Year alongside celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay and his family.
According to the Sun, Beckham had booked front-row seats to watch his wife Victoria and son Cruz perform but Dennis and his entourage of 30 people sat in the reserved area. When Dennis was asked to leave by a member of Beckham's staff, he allegedly replied: "I've paid the most money on the island, I deserve to sit here."
That comment reportedly infuriated Beckham, who angrily confronted the F1 boss. "There were name cards on the table which Ron failed to notice," a source is quoted as saying by the Sun. "He thought he could sit wherever he wanted.
"However, when the Beckhams finished their meal and headed out, they saw their seats were taken. Becks was fuming. It was a throwback to his early football days when he used to show his temper on the pitch.
MLS side LAFC worth more than 14 Premier League sides after $1bn valuation"He really didn't hold back. He believed Ron was rude. He was so incensed he felt the need to put him in his place - despite the fact the row was in full view of other guests. The pair were really going at it."
Resort staff intervened and found Dennis and his party seats elsewhere and he is said to have apologised to Beckham the next day. A representative for Dennis insisted: "It was a storm in a teacup. They've known each other for years. It was all forgotten about next morning."
Things will be different this year, though, with Dennis celebrating the fact that he has been given a knighthood in the New Years Honours list for his services to industry and charity. Beckham, however, has once again been snubbed.
The football legend received an OBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours List in 2003, but has not been honoured since. In 2017, emails were leaked were Beckham allegedly slammed the honours committee, branding them "unappreciative c***s".
Beckham did later claim some of the emails were "doctored", but admitted to friends that he did write others "in the heat of the moment".