Roman Kemp says David Beckham told him to 'look after' son Romeo after he was targeted on seven‑a‑side team

Roman Kemp said David Beckham told him to "look after" Beckham's son Romeo after the younger player was targeted and physically struck during casual seven-a-side matches in London.

Kemp, a 32-year-old presenter who plays on a team called "Netflix n’ Skills" alongside Romeo Beckham, 23, former goalkeeper Petr Čech and singer Tom Grennan, recounted the exchange to The Sun, saying Beckham approached him at Romeo's birthday party and asked him to keep an eye on the midfielder.

"He came over and said 'hi', and then turned to me and said, 'Look after him please,'" Kemp told the tabloid. Kemp said the request followed an incident in which Romeo was "got started on because he was recognised," and that other players and people on the sideline had been jeering at or targeting the young player.

Kemp described a separate episode in which he himself was struck in the face while playing and said the assailant told him the blow was motivated by Kemp's own profile. "Even I get it — the other day some bloke literally, bang, clobbered me in the face. I turned to him and said, 'what the f***?,' and he goes, 'It's because you're famous innit,'" Kemp said.

Romeo Beckham, the son of former England captain David Beckham and fashion designer Victoria Beckham, has trained and played in the United States. He appeared with Inter Miami CF II, the reserve team of the Major League Soccer club co-owned by his father, in September 2021. The younger Beckham has since returned to the U.K., where he has participated in celebrity and amateur fixtures.

Kemp's comments come amid repeated media reports of tensions within the Beckham family. Publications have reported that Romeo and his older brother Brooklyn Beckham are reportedly estranged, and that members of the Beckham family did not attend a vow-renewal event earlier this year connected to Brooklyn's marriage to actress Nicola Peltz. Those reports said Romeo's 23rd birthday on Sept. 5 at the Japanese restaurant Aki in London was attended by David and Victoria Beckham, and by younger siblings Cruz and Harper, but that Brooklyn was absent.

At a recent New York Fashion Week appearance, Romeo was reported to have avoided speaking about the familial situation. A Daily Mail account said he skipped red carpet interviews and gave brief, noncommittal responses when attendees raised the subject.

Kemp and Roma's teammates play in mixed lineups of former professionals, media figures and entertainers in a format that often draws public attention. Celebrity and semi-professional fixtures in urban settings can generate security and crowd-control challenges when participants are widely recognised, and players have previously reported being taunted or physically targeted because of their public profiles.

Beckham, 50, has previously been involved in public life as a player, team owner and football ambassador. His family remains a frequent subject of tabloid coverage because of their public profiles and involvement in fashion, sport and entertainment.

Kemp's account was limited to the incidents he described in the interview and to his recollection of Beckham's request. Representatives for Beckham, Romeo and Kemp did not immediately provide additional comment to media reports. The incidents described by Kemp underscore the intersections between celebrity and grassroots sport as well as potential safety concerns when public figures participate in informal matches.