Match of the Day commentator Guy Mowbray has confirmed that he and his colleagues will once again be missing from Sunday’s highlights show.
Never before did I think I’d have written so much about Match of the Day in such a short amount of time, not unless Ian Wright and Alan Shearer got into a brawl live on television.
The show did go on, just without any presenters, pundits or commentators, and even managed to gain more viewers, although surely just out of intrigue rather than enjoyment.
The latter is usually presented by Mark Chapman, and the Manchester United fan’s absence also meant Match of the Day 2 was in doubt.
“As yesterday, there will be no ‘normal’ MOTD(2) programme tonight,” Mowbray confirmed on social media.
“The scheduled commentary team are in full agreement with our BBC Sport colleagues. We hope that a resolution can be found ASAP.”
Update:
As yesterday, there will be no ‘normal’ MOTD(2) programme tonight. The scheduled commentary team are in full agreement with our BBC Sport colleagues. We hope that a resolution can be found ASAP.— Guy Mowbray (@Guymowbray) March 12, 2023
Former Tottenham Hotspur striker Jermain Defoe had already confirmed that he would not be on punditry duty on Sunday, following the example of Ian Wright and Alan Shearer.
Defoe did ‘appear’ on 5 Live on Saturday, with the BBC deciding to rerun some podcast episodes with the absence of Chapman on their usual coverage.
Nothing was live on the channel to cover football until the commentaries at 3pm, with England’s huge defeat against France in the Six Nations also still live.
Shearer and Wright were both reunited on Sunday, and not just for a personal meeting, as they appeared on Premier League TV together, covering the games.
BBC may have to act fast as they are due to show two live games in the FA Cup next weekend, and at this rate they may have no commentators!
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