The BBC has confirmed that Mark Chapman will not present Match of the Day this weekend. He shares presenting duties on the show with Kelly Cates and Gabby Logan.
In January 2025, the BBC announced that three seasoned presenters would replace long-time lead Gary Lineker. Chapman, the veteran host of Match of the Day 2 and a BBC Radio 5 Live staple, was one of these. The others are senior BBC Sport anchor Gabby Logan and Kelly Cates, who extended her Beeb role to television after leading Premier League coverage for Sky Sports.
Weekend presenting line-up
When it comes to Match of the Day, the trio rotate week by week. The BBC has confirmed that, for the next round of top-flight fixtures, Cates will front the show on Saturday and Logan will take over on Sunday. Chapman tags out, having hosted last Sunday's episode.
On Saturday, Cates will be joined in the Match of the Day studio by ex-Liverpool and Fulham star Danny Murphy, who is a regular. Former Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart is the other guest. The episode will cover five Premier League matches: Everton vs Chelsea, Brentford vs Liverpool, Fulham vs Hull City, Manchester City vs Ipswich Town and Newcastle vs Aston Villa.
Sunday's coverage
Sunday's edition will be fronted by Logan, who'll be joined by former top-flight goalkeeper Shay Given as well as BBC stalwart Dion Dublin. Four Premier League matches will be covered by these three: Bournemouth vs Sunderland, Brighton vs Crystal Palace, Leeds vs Manchester United and Nottingham Forest vs Arsenal.
Cates and Chapman made headlines 11 days ago when it was revealed that they had started dating. Chapman had split from Dubai-based property specialist Clere Collier in April. The romance has drawn warmth from the public as both Chapman and Cates, the daughter of Liverpool icon Sir Kenny Dalglish, have endured personal hardships in recent years.
Personal backgrounds
In 2020, Chapman's wife, Sara, to whom he had been married for nearly two decades, tragically passed away from cancer at the age of 44. The pair had three children together, whom the presenter continues to raise.
Cates split from TV producer Tom Cates in 2021, after 14 years of marriage. She said on her colleague Logan's Life At The Mid Point podcast five years ago: "I don't have a picture in my head of why a middle-aged, slightly overweight mother of two could possibly be attractive. I can't get my head round that. It's not that I'm putting myself down and it's not a lack of confidence or low self-esteem. It's just I don't know what that would look like."
Reports now claim she and fellow Match of the Day host Chapman have coupled up. The two most recently appeared together in an episode of Channel 4's Celebrity Gogglebox in July.
