Martin Tyler apologizes and clarifies BBC 'Hillsborough' and 'hooliganism' comments
Martin Tyler has apologized after causing uproar with comments about the Hillsborough disaster and football hooliganism on BBC Radio 4. The longtime Sky Sports commentator has been called a 'shame' by fans , with the BBC since its release with a statement to settle and clarify the situation.
On Friday morning, Tyler appeared on BBC radio for a chat ahead of the Premier League's return this weekend, starting with Arsenal's trip to Crystal Palace in the evening. But while discussing his early days in broadcasting, the 76-year-old angered listeners with his comments, mentioning the Hillsborough disaster in 1989 in the same sentence as football hooliganism, which plagued the era.
He said: "You have to remember that football was in a bit of a crisis at that time [in the 1980s], we weren't that long after Hillsborough, and other hooligan issues as well .has been a very difficult time for the game in general."
The Hillsborough disaster is one of the most infamous in football history and has since been at the heart of a row between the families of the victims, Liverpool supporters and the police. During an FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest at Sheffield's Hillsborough Stadium, a human crush in the Leppings Lane stand resulted in the death of 97 supporters in addition to 766 non-fatal injuries.
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The BBC has since been bombarded with complaints on social media from live listeners and those who watched clips of the discussion elsewhere. And they hastily released a statement, noting that Tyler explained what he meant and apologized for the offense caused.
It reads: "We regret that we did not strongly challenge Martin Tyler over a comment which appeared to link Hillsborough to hooliganism. Martin has since apologized for the comment and clarified that it was 'separate examples and that he had no intention of confusing the two."
READ MORE: Tottenham face compromise to secure £21m signing for Antonio Conte
Martin Tyler has apologized after causing uproar with comments about the Hillsborough disaster and football hooliganism on BBC Radio 4. The longtime Sky Sports commentator has been called a 'shame' by fans , with the BBC since its release with a statement to settle and clarify the situation.
On Friday morning, Tyler appeared on BBC radio for a chat ahead of the Premier League's return this weekend, starting with Arsenal's trip to Crystal Palace in the evening. But while discussing his early days in broadcasting, the 76-year-old angered listeners with his comments, mentioning the Hillsborough disaster in 1989 in the same sentence as football hooliganism, which plagued the era.
He said: "You have to remember that football was in a bit of a crisis at that time [in the 1980s], we weren't that long after Hillsborough, and other hooligan issues as well .has been a very difficult time for the game in general."
The Hillsborough disaster is one of the most infamous in football history and has since been at the heart of a row between the families of the victims, Liverpool supporters and the police. During an FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest at Sheffield's Hillsborough Stadium, a human crush in the Leppings Lane stand resulted in the death of 97 supporters in addition to 766 non-fatal injuries.
JUST IN: Mikel Arteta 'fears' after disastrous start as Arsenal manager
The BBC has since been bombarded with complaints on social media from live listeners and those who watched clips of the discussion elsewhere. And they hastily released a statement, noting that Tyler explained what he meant and apologized for the offense caused.
It reads: "We regret that we did not strongly challenge Martin Tyler over a comment which appeared to link Hillsborough to hooliganism. Martin has since apologized for the comment and clarified that it was 'separate examples and that he had no intention of confusing the two."
READ MORE: Tottenham face compromise to secure £21m signing for Antonio Conte
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