Presenter Gary Lineker said the BBC’s television coverage of the FA Cup clash between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Liverpool had been sabotaged after loud pornographic noises were heard during the build-up to Tuesday’s match.
Lineker was discussing the third-round replay in a studio at Molineux alongside pundits Paul Ince and Danny Murphy when audible wailing broke out in the background.
Former Tottenham Hotspur star Lineker was clearly startled and struggled not to laugh as he said: “Would you stop making those noises, Danny.”
When the sexually charged sounds continued after an interview with Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp was aired, Lineker cut to colleague and fellow former England striker Alan Shearer in the commentary gantry.
“Somebody’s sending something on someone’s phone, I think. I don’t know whether you heard it at home,” Lineker said.
Once the match started, Lineker revealed the cause, posting a picture of a mobile phone and three laughing emojis on Twitter alongside the words: “Well, we found this taped to the back of the set. As sabotage goes it was quite amusing.”
During the halftime analysis, Lineker took the opportunity to make further light of the incident.
Talking to Ince and Murphy, he said of Liverpool’s opening goal: “Harvey Elliott’s goal was a screamer ... which was not the only one we’ve had tonight.”
The BBC appeared to be less amused, and issued a statement saying: “We apologize to any viewers offended during the live coverage of the football this evening.”
A self-ascribed YouTube prankster, who calls himself “Jarvo,” wrote on Twitter that he was behind the stunt, and posted a video showing him calling the phone to activate the sounds.
Jarvo, whose real name is Daniel Jarvis, was in October last year banned from all sporting events in England and Wales for two years after running onto the pitch during a cricket test match between England and India in September 2021 and barging into England batter Jonny Bairstow.
Additional reporting by AP
Taiwan’s participation in the Olympic Games has been a story of politics as much as sports, with the name it has competed under since 1984 — Chinese Taipei — drawing as much attention as its athletes. However, with the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad set to begin in Paris on Friday, the exploits of Taiwan’s athletes past and present who have won 36 medals since the country’s debut in Melbourne in 1956 deserve a nod. Many of Taiwan’s medal winners have gained considerable name recognition, but only two have achieved legendary status — Maysang Kalimud and Chi Cheng, the only medal winners
Shohei Ohtani on Sunday hit a 473-foot (144m) home run as the Los Angeles Dodgers went deep six times in a 9-6 victory over the Boston Red Sox. Freddie Freeman, Teoscar Hernandez, Gavin Lux, Austin Barnes and Jason Heyward also connected as Los Angeles swept the three-game series. “Going into the break, we weren’t playing good baseball, and then to come out fresh against a really good ball club and to play the way we did — the offense came to life,” Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts said. It was the 25th time the Dodgers launched at least six homers in a game
Canada women’s soccer coach Bev Priestman on Wednesday said she would step away from the team’s opening game against New Zealand at the Paris Olympics in the wake of a drone scandal. New Zealand complained to the International Olympic Committee’s integrity unit after it said drones were flown over closed practice sessions earlier in the week. As of press time last night, Canada, the defending Olympic champions, were set to open the Paris Games against New Zealand in Saint-Etienne. In the fallout of the complaint, two staff members — assistant coach Jasmine Mander and analyst Joseph Lombardi — were sent home, the
Conventional wisdom dictates that the average retirement age for elite female players in the intense and physically demanding sport of badminton is well under 30 years old. Five female shuttlers are set to turn that on its head when they make their fourth Olympic appearances at the Paris Games, a feat never accomplished before. Taiwan’s Tai Tzu-ying, 30, Thailand’s Ratchanok Intanon, 29, Belgium’s Lianne Tan, 33, and Hong Kong’s Tse Ying Suet and Canada’s Michelle Li, both 32, are to compete for Olympic glory at Porte de La Chapelle Arena from Saturday to Aug. 5. “These achievements get missed because they’re women,” said