Good Morning Britain presenter Susanna Reid found herself in hot water with viewers after her remarks about Scotland's World Cup campaign led to a flood of complaints. ITV's flagship breakfast show has been hit with over 500 Ofcom complaints following the episode aired on Tuesday, June 9.
Ofcom Complaints Total 508
The watchdog confirmed that 508 complaints were received about the segment, which featured a discussion about Scotland receiving a bank holiday for qualifying for the World Cup. Ofcom stated that the complaints related to comments made during the discussion about the Scottish World Cup bank holiday.
The Offending Segment
During the show, Susanna and co-presenter Ed Balls discussed the news that Scotland was to receive a bank holiday for qualifying for the World Cup. Ed said: "This morning, in our five o'clock meeting, Susanna said, 'I can't believe this, the game's on the Sunday morning, and they get bank holiday [more than] 24 hours later.' I said, 'What?' I couldn't believe it. It never occurred to me that that was going on."
Susanna then remarked: "It's really outrageous. I mean, how long does it take Scots to get over the fact that they've played their first match?"
A clip of the comments quickly went viral on social media, with many Scottish viewers finding it in poor taste. Scotland went on to beat Haiti 1-0 in the early hours of Sunday, June 14.
Apology and ITV Statement
Susanna later apologised on Good Morning Britain on Monday, June 15, the day of the extra Scottish bank holiday. ITV also released a statement following the backlash, which read: "The editorial team feel discussion of the fact that some football fans would be drinking alcohol while watching the match is something that would be referenced in the discussion of any home nation's participation in an international tournament."
The statement continued: "No slight was intended toward Scottish fans in particular – it was more a reflection of football watching culture in the UK. We're aware this coverage has been distorted on social media by brief edited clips that do not represent the full four-minute discussion. Having reviewed the full segments, our feeling is that the issue of drinking and football would have been raised in a discussion of any home nation having an extra day off work following a game. We do note, however, that such discussions can play into national stereotypes. This was not the intention, and in no way was the focus of the discussion."
King Charles Approves Bank Holiday
King Charles officially approved proposals for a national bank holiday in Scotland on June 15 to mark Scotland's men's football World Cup debut since 1998.
