Sky Sports and ITV have been slammed after issuing an apology just minutes into the Carabao Cup final between Liverpool and Newcastle. Arne Slot’s side took on the Magpies in the showpiece event at Wembley for the chance to win the first piece of major silverware this season.
Ahead of kick-off, the television cameras focused in on the Liverpool team huddle on the pitch as Reds captain Virgil van Dijk gave a rousing speech to his team-mates. And viewers may have been shocked by the Dutchman’s choice of language as he exclaimed: “We worked so hard to be here. Let’s f***ing do this.”
Sky Sports and ITV screened the same Carabao Cup final package, with Peter Drury on commentary duties: And the 57-year-old told viewers after the match had started: “Apologies if you picked up any bad language during the pent-up moment ahead of kick-off.”
But Match of the Day commentator Guy Mowbray was unhappy that Drury had been forced to apologise after producers had chosen to thrust the cameras into the huddle in the first place.
“If you will put a camera and mic right in the pre kick off team huddle…..please don’t then make your commentator apologise for ‘any bad language you may have heard,’” Mowbray wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
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