BBC apologizes for Geoffrey Boycott’s comments

A former cricketer Geoffrey Boycott was found swearing in front of the media in live coverage of a cricket match as heard by the listeners. In a BBC’s special coverage of a test match against South Africa and England on Sunday, 29th November, 2009, Boycott reportedly shouted “f** t**r” while the mike was still on. The BBC have apologized for the rude remarks and expressed their regret on the comments.

The former cricketer retired from playing cricket professionally and became a broadcaster. Boycott’s comment came on Sunday, after witnessing South Africa’s sixth wicket dismissal. Paul Collingwood caught a flying shot by Ryan McLaren and sent him back to the dressing room in the bowling of Stuart Board. The hosts were able to dish out only 119 at the fourth-day at Port Elizabeth.

It is said that Boycott did not realized he was on air at the time that he said the ill-words. Neither is it sure to whom the comments were addressed to, as said by a BBC source. A BBC spokesman reported to The Hindustan Times, “An off-air comment made by Geoffrey Boycott in a live broadcast was heard by some listeners which we apologized for as soon as we realized it had been audible.” The Daily Mail also carried an article related to the same and stated that Boycott’s foul-mouth profanities have created the same powerful career-threatening inferences that resulted in the similar matter of Ron Atkinson and Dean Jones.

In 2004, famous football analyst, Atkinson, used words starting with “F” and “N” in a match between Chelsea and AS Monaco while talking about Marcel Desailly, a Chelsea player from Ghania. Jones, a former batsman was fired from the panel after reported to have called Hashim Alma, a South African Muslim batsman as a “terrorist” in 2006 during a match between South Africa and Sri Lanka. The comments from Boycott have kicked off a storm that had started a row of discussions at the “Beeb”. The BBC has, no doubt apologized on behalf of the 69-year-old commentator but will take a note of them.

Radio 5, the program was started in 1957 and gained much popularity among listeners who vote it amongst their most favorite show. The program is equally listened to by people of all age group and that’s why this issue is of much concern to the people.