Clive Tyldesley ‘bitterly disappointed’ after leaving World Cup before quarter-finals
ITV commentator Clive Tyldesley was left “bitterly disappointed” by his early exit from the World Cup.
Tyldesley was part of ITV’s team in Qatar, but after the quarter-finals, he hopped on a plane back to England. And speaking to the Daily Mirror, he said: “Was I bitterly disappointed? You bet I was.
“But it’s a decision I’ve got to accept and in the grand scheme of things people don’t turn it on for the commentator, they turn it on for the football. I didn’t agree with the decision but I accepted it.”
READ MORE: ITV favourite Clive Tyldesley’s early return from World Cup explained with fans ‘gutted’
Daily Star Sport had revealed that it was always the plan for Tyldesley to leave Qatar after the quarter-finals. He continued: “I was offered a quarter-final to commentate on for highlights.
“It would have meant me staying on in Qatar for another four or five days to essentially commentate on 10 minutes of television post-midnight. I said I would be happy to do it if they couldn’t cover without me but my preference was to fly home early if possible and they said OK.”
68-year-old Tyldesley, who stood down as ITV’s premier commentator in 2020 and was replaced by Sam Matterface, is a real favourite among British footy fans.
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(Image: Getty Images)
Matterface and Lee Dixon have been ITV’s leading pair for the Qatar World Cup, with the duo taking charge of England’s games on the channel.
Like Tyldesley, England bowed out of Qatar in the quarter-finals as they lost to France. Football fans slammed Matterface in the clash – with some claiming he had produced one of the worst commentary lines of all time after Harry Kane’s miss.
Meanwhile, there was an outpouring of support for Tyldesley after it was announced he was leaving.
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