Entertainment
BBC hit with complaints over ‘biased’ Euro 2020 commentary ahead of England semi-final
BBC complaints claim coverage is ‘biased’ towards England (Picture: Ettore Ferrari/Pool/Getty Images)
The BBC has been hit with complaints over its coverage of the Euro 2020 football tournament over claims that its commentary is ‘biased’.
The 2020 UEFA European Football Championship has been packed with drama, with the England men’s national team thrashing Ukraine 4-0 over the weekend to reach the semi-final against Denmark on Wednesday.
However, there are some spectators watching at home who feel that the BBC’s commentary has shown too much preference for the England side.
In a bulletin published on the broadcaster’s website, the firm said that it has ‘received some complaints about our Euro 2020 coverage, from people who think our commentators or presenters are biased in favour of England’.
In its response, the BBC said that the team of pundits ‘features a line-up of England, Scotland, and Wales experts’, among the likes of Alex Scott, Rio Ferdinand, Jermaine Jenas and Alan Shearer.
The company added that ‘dedicated team coverage will also be provided by home nations experts’, while the line-up of commentators also includes ‘international representation through Juergen Klinnsmann, Cesc Fabregas, Petr Cech and Eric Abidal’.
Rio Ferdinand is among the commentators at the tournament (Picture: BBC)
All in all, the BBC said that it is ‘proud’ of the expertise that it provides on the channel and therefore does not agree that ‘our line-up shows any bias towards any one team’.
That wasn’t the only Euro 2020-related complaint logged by the BBC, as another was received from people claiming that the presenters ‘spent too much time talking about the England team’.
In reference to the day in question, when England beat Germany, the BBC said that it doesn’t believe it is ‘inappropriate for members of our team to spend some time talking about their performance’.
In another separate complaint, some BBC viewers complained about the amount of Euro 2020 coverage on the whole.
The broadcaster outlined that it has an ‘obligation’ to feature coverage on ‘notable sporting events’, although the company understands that ‘not everyone will be interested in football’.
More: BBC
‘We hope our viewers are able to find something else on our schedules to enjoy,’ the firm added.
The England vs Denmark semi-final is to air live on Wednesday July 7 from 6.30pm on ITV and on the ITV Hub.
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