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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| New Zealand PM accused of calling David Beckham 'thick' | New Zealand PM accused of calling David Beckham 'thick' |
| (about 1 month later) | |
| New Zealand's prime minister has become embroiled in a media row amid allegations that he called David Beckham "thick". | New Zealand's prime minister has become embroiled in a media row amid allegations that he called David Beckham "thick". |
| John Key was reported to have said the football star was "thick as bat shit" on a recent visit to a school in Auckland. | John Key was reported to have said the football star was "thick as bat shit" on a recent visit to a school in Auckland. |
| While discussing an exhibition match between Beckham's team, LA Galaxy, and the Oceania All-Stars, which took place in 2008, he is said to have described the former England captain as handsome and "a really nice guy" before adding the offending remark. | While discussing an exhibition match between Beckham's team, LA Galaxy, and the Oceania All-Stars, which took place in 2008, he is said to have described the former England captain as handsome and "a really nice guy" before adding the offending remark. |
| A spokesman for Beckham refused to comment on Monday. | A spokesman for Beckham refused to comment on Monday. |
| Key was not available for comment, but in an interview on breakfast television he said: "That is someone that thinks they have overheard a conversation I have had. I am not going to engage in that because otherwise I am engaging in every conversation that someone thinks I have." | Key was not available for comment, but in an interview on breakfast television he said: "That is someone that thinks they have overheard a conversation I have had. I am not going to engage in that because otherwise I am engaging in every conversation that someone thinks I have." |
| Asked if that meant he was denying he had called Beckham thick, Key said: "No. What I am saying is that somebody has overheard a personal conversation and that's their recollection of it. | Asked if that meant he was denying he had called Beckham thick, Key said: "No. What I am saying is that somebody has overheard a personal conversation and that's their recollection of it. |
| "I am just not going to engage in discussions about that. That's their view." | "I am just not going to engage in discussions about that. That's their view." |
| Many have taken to Twitter to comment on the apparent gaffe, with one user writing: "John Key is quickly becoming to New Zealand what Borat was to Kazakhstan." | Many have taken to Twitter to comment on the apparent gaffe, with one user writing: "John Key is quickly becoming to New Zealand what Borat was to Kazakhstan." |
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