Sky Sports News' transfer deadline day coverage has sparked fury amongst football fans, with some branding the coverage 'embarrassing' and a new low.
Ben Cipolla singing on Sky Sports News
Sky Sports News has come under fire for its deadline day coverage (Image: Sky Sports News)
Sky Sports News' coverage of transfer deadline day has landed the broadcaster in hot water, with some viewers admitting they turned off the show "out of embarrassment." An appearance from a musician and a reporter's rhymes did not go down well with those tuning in.
Transfer deadline day was once Sky Sports News' bread and butter. The channel would start broadcasting early, with an in-studio panel, usually led by Jim White, who left the company in 2021, and reporters at almost every Premier League ground. The interactions these reporters had with fans, who would surround them in front of the Sky cameras, were legendary and entertaining moments were the norm. However, this year, with Sky undergoing a handful of changes, some of their deadline-day decisions have not paid off.
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As deadline day commenced on Tuesday morning, Sky Sports News recruited the services of guitarist Ben Cipolla. Cipolla gained internet fame during the World Cup with a composition he penned about England star Djed Spence, performed to the melody of Bonnie Tyler's Total Eclipse of the Heart.
Cipolla addressed the channel's panel, including presenter Hayley McQueen and former Premier League striker Charlie Austin, before performing a fresh song about Liverpool recruit Bradley Barcola.
Barcola joined the Reds on Monday in a blockbuster £123million transfer from Paris Saint-Germain, and Cipolla marked the occasion with a song inspired by Crowded House's Don't Dream It's Over. It's fair to say those tuning in at around 8:30am were distinctly unimpressed. One declared on social media platform X: "That channel has dropped right off a cliff."
Another agreed, posting: "Turned on Sky Sports News for transfer deadline and seen some p***k with a guitar. Turned it straight back off." One more remarked: "Sky Sports News is one big joke these days. Deadline day used to be worth watching, but now it's just a gimmick." A fourth commented: "Content from Sky Sports News hitting a new all-time low."
Ben Cipolla singing on Sky Sports News
Cipolla has caught flak for his performance (Image: Sky Sports News)
However, this song wasn't the sole content that infuriated subscribers. Cipolla also unveiled another number about deadline day and some of the event's finest moments. The lyrics featured: "Deadline day is alive and kicking. So many deals, yeah, the clock is ticking."
In reaction to the song, a dismayed viewer posted: "Genuinely the first time I've had to turn the television off out of pure second-hand embarrassment."
Reporter Cotterill, who was stationed at Emirates Stadium on deadline day delivering fans updates about Arsenal's activity, quickly became the rotten cherry on top for certain viewers.
When questioned about possible new signings, Cotterill burst into song and, to the tune of Paul McCartney and Wings' Let 'Em In, sang: "No one's knocking at the door, no one's ringing the bell. No one's knocking at the door, no one's ringing the bell." Cotterill then added: "But then the fans are saying, 'If anybody does, open the door then let him in.'" One supporter was especially annoyed and posted on X: "Who in their right mind would pay to watch that?"