World Cup TV coverage is exposing co-commentators on BBC and ITV for a crucial mistake: they are doing almost zero preparation before matches. Former football stars paid over £1 million for expert analysis are offering inane comments that could be surpassed by pub bores, according to an opinion piece by Paul Jeeves.
Co-commentators Lack Basic Research
Match after match at the FIFA World Cup has shown up co-commentators for a basic lack of research on the teams they are analysing. The excellent commentators sitting beside them, who are on a relative pittance in comparison, must be frustrated. The article suggests sacking them all and employing proper football experts at a fraction of the cost.
The least these pundits could do is watch a couple of the team's previous matches, but instead they appear to just rock up at the stadium, glance at notes prepared by a researcher, and wing it.
Ally McCoist's Ignorance of Hakimi Allegations
Ally McCoist, while providing an enjoyable double-act with Peter Drury, exposed himself to worldwide ridicule during Scotland's defeat to Morocco. He expressed surprise at why fans were booing Morocco's captain Achraf Hakimi, not knowing that Hakimi is a current Champions League winner accused of rape.
McCoist told the audience: “Not sure what Hakimi has done to upset the locals, but he’s done something?” Hours before the game, a French appeals court confirmed that Hakimi, 27, would stand trial accused of raping a 24-year-old woman at his home in a Paris suburb in March 2023. Hakimi denies any wrongdoing.
Tartan Army fans reacted with anger on social media. One X user said: “How did Ally McCoist miss this today when he's a commentator for the game.” Another commented: “Has Ally McCoist really just said he doesn’t know why Hakimi is being booed? Glad to see he’s done his research as a commentator.”
Other Pundits Also Criticised
McCoist's lack of insight is nothing new for the team of so-called expert pundits who pocket the money without doing basic research. The article criticises the likes of Lee Dixon, Alan Shearer, Danny Murphy, Andros Townsend, and Lucy Ward for droning on. It also singles out French star Olivier Giroud, whose English is not his first language, as the biggest waste of money ever spent by ITV executives, noting they once employed Ron Atkinson.
However, the article concedes that Gary Lineker is quite good.
