It was one of the great moments in Australian football.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
World football superpower Liverpool on our shores to take on reigning A-League champions Sydney FC.
Yet instead of being remembered for the occasion it was, there’s a chance that it will be forever sadly remembered for the farcical telecast which accompanied it.
The call of the game aside, which was completely professional, the accompanying pre-game and half-time offering that the ABC served up was a disgrace for the occasion.
Luckily many of the football-mad fans in our region would have been at Wednesday night’s game, they would have missed the shenanigans the ABC’s chosen motley crew put to air.
Shenanigans which have now unfortunately gone viral across the globe and none of it for good reasons.
Sure the match was a friendly, but it was still a significant moment in sporting history in this country and deserved so much more than the try-hard sketch comedy crap the ABC management must have thought was appropriate.
Perhaps just another clear example of the national broadcasters disconnect with the broader public by perhaps trying to be too clever by half. Like many football fans, FFA took to social media to register its disappointment .
“Like many fans, FFA is disappointed with some aspects of the ABC’s broadcast of he Sydney FC v Liverpool match last night,” FFA said via Twitter.
“Pre-game, halftime & post-game coverage wasn’t to standard expected by FFA & football fans. We’ve made that point to ABC management.”
Former greats of the game and federal politicians alike lined up to join in the chorus. On Thursday afternoon, the ABC acknowledged the error.
“The ABC was proud to broadcast the Liverpool FC versus Sydney FC last night at short notice, making it available to all Australians,” an ABC spokesman said.
“While the game coverage and commentary was excellent, our decision to create a different offering for the pre-game, half-time and post-game coverage, was not supported by all football fans and we will consider this feedback for any future sporting events.”
The entire debacle has probably ended any hope the ABC had of being the free-to-air broadcast partner for the A-League. That’s one hell of an own goal.