ITV has sacked its World Cup pundit Robbie Earle after discovering he passed scores of tickets to a third party in breach of Fifa rules. The tickets were allegedly used by a Dutch beer company for an ambush marketing effort.
ITV said Earle's contract was terminated with immediate effect following an investigation into its ticket allocation. The broadcaster stated that a substantial number of tickets allocated to Earle for family and friends had been passed to a third party, violating Fifa regulations.
It is understood that between 35 and 40 tickets ended up with a marketing company believed to have orchestrated the ambush on behalf of Bavaria beer. During the Holland v Denmark match, 36 women in orange mini dresses were ejected from Soccer City for suspected ambush marketing. Bavaria denied any links to the women.
The sacking adds to ITV's woes after 1.5 million viewers missed England's opening goal against the USA due to a technical issue with its high definition channel. ITV said Earle will not be replaced, with existing pundits covering his absence.
