fbpx
Connect with us

English Football League

Football pundit suspended by the BBC for what he said during game

One particular football pundit has been suspended by the BBC for what he said during a League One game in midweek, it’s reported.

Former Lincoln player and manager Steve “Tommo” Thompson described an incident in the recent clash between Swindon Town and Lincoln City as “handbags”, landing himself in hot water with the broadcasting giants.

The 65-year-old, who works as a freelancer, has been laid off for the rest of the year after complaints from listeners about the outdated phrase.

Thompson made the comment on BBC Radio Lincolnshire during Lincoln City’s 1-0 win at Swindon Town on Tuesday, taking the Imps 3rd in the League One table.

Explaining their decision, the BBC said the phrase “handbags” was not in line with their standards.

The broadcasting giants said: “After listeners raised concerns, Steve acknowledged some of his comments on air didn’t meet the standards we expect.

“He is taking a break but will be back in the New Year.”

However, several fans are campaigning for his reinstatement, insisting there is nothing malicious behind the intent.

Marcus Greatorex said: “It’s just an old term. The BBC should pay more attention to songs on their stations promoting knife crime and drug use.”

Lincoln fan Bernard O’Mahoney added: “As any football fan knows, ‘handbags’ is an incredibly well-known saying.

“I can’t begin to think who’d be offended by it. The BBC has lost touch with the public.”

Football Pundit Suspended For Using 'Handbags' To Describe Players Fighting

The term appears in the Collins Dictionary as “an incident in which people, especially sportsmen, fight or threaten to fight, but without real intent to inflict harm”.

The BBC said: “After listeners raised concerns, Steve acknowledged some of his comments on air didn’t meet the standards we expect. He is taking a break but will be back in the New Year.”

The Sun says: The BBC has been in the grip of “woke” madness longer than almost anyone.

But dropping a footy pundit for calling an ineffectual on-pitch scuffle “handbags” is a new level of foolishness.

Who exactly is offended by this term, so common it’s in the dictionary?

No one outside the imagination of hyper-sensitive producers.

The BBC is growing more distant by the day from the public whose licence fees it needs.

It’s one own-goal after another.

The BBC recently were criticised for announcing that Radio 1 will play an alternate version of The Pogues and Kirsty MacColl’s ‘Fairytale of New York’ this year as some of its listeners may be offended by the original.

The song has previously sparked debate over its use of the homophobic slur ‘f*****’ as well as the word ‘slut’, with many thinking the outdated words need to be ditched.

This year, Radio 1 will be playing an alternate version which will still feature lyrics sung by Kirsty MacColl – with the BBC saying that younger audiences could be particularly sensitive to the original.

The new version will replace the lyrics ‘you cheap, lousy f*****’ with the words, ‘you’re cheap and you’re haggard’.

It’s also believed the word ‘slut’ will be muted.

BBC Radio 2 however will play original version of the song, while 6 Music DJ will have both options available, according to the broadcaster.

A spokesperson for BBC told LADbible: “We know the song is considered a Christmas classic and we will continue to play it this year, with our radio stations choosing the version of the song most relevant for their audience.”

The BBC have also banned sports commentators from using “racist” phrases including cakewalk, sold down the river and nitty gritty.

In an ‘avoiding racial bias’ training session, commentators and co-commentators were given a list of terms that must be avoided.

In an online training session staff, were instructed to stop using “pace” and/or “power” to describe black players.

This is because it can be deemed as racial stereotyping.

A guide was sent out to attendees which read: “Is there a danger of spreading a perception that black players’ success is purely based on their athleticism and doesn’t require hard work and intelligence?

“Do you need to spend more time thinking about how to explain the variety of reasons for a black player’s success?”

Others such as uppity, blacklisted, black mark and whiter than white were also included in the list of phrases to avoid – with explanations of the racist connotations and possible alternatives provided.

Fans reacted after seeing that a football pundit suspended by the BBC for what he said during a League One game…

Related Topics
Click to comment

You must be logged in to post a comment Login

Leave a Reply

More in English Football League