Stan Collymore: Why has the BBC dropped me and not Jeremy Clarkson?
Former Aston Villa striker accuses the BBC of hypocrisy after claiming he was dropped as a pundit on Match of the Day 2 for being “controversial”
Former footballer Stan Collymore has publicly accused the BBC of hypocrisy after claiming that an offer to appear on Match of the Day 2 this season has been rescinded after he made a controversial remark on Twitter about the Falkland Islands earlier this summer.
The footballer claims that he was asked in May to make some appearances on the show for its coverage of this 2014/15 season but was then dropped after his Falklands tweet drew complaints to the BBC from members of the public.
But following reports that he was no longer to appear on the show he has written a lengthy attack on Twitter, in which he says that a BBC producer told him he was too much of a “controversial figure” for the show following his Falklands tweet.
The tweet said: “Falklands? Wasn't anyone's. We just thieved it, as we do. What glory, what triumph. A ****ing island with sheep. Rule Britannia". It drew widespread complaints including a protest by a veterans group outside the offices of his employer TalkSport.
However, on Twitter Collymore has noted a number of other “controversial” figures who have worked with the BBC in the past including Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson.
“If Jeremy Clarkson can work for them, so can I,” he writes.
In his latest piece, Collymore also admits he still harbours hopes of appearing on Match of the Day 2: “I look forward to appearing several times on MOTD2 this season to add the insight, passion and liveliness to a great show as the producer asked me to do."
A BBC spokesperson said: “There are no present plans for Stan to appear but we are always in contact with potential guests about ad hoc appearances.”
A Corporation source said that Collymore’s appointment on the show had never been announced.
