Mark Chapman gone from Match of the Day this weekend as replacements confirmed
Mark Chapman will not present Match of the Day this weekend as the BBC confirms its scheduled rotation, with Kelly Cates hosting Saturday’s show and Gabby Logan fronting Sunday’s edition
He won’t be on MOTD this weekend(Image: Jess Hornby, Getty Images)
Mark Chapman will be absent from Match of the Day this weekend, with presenting duties shared between Kelly Cates and Gabby Logan. In January 2025, the BBC revealed that three experienced presenters would step in to fill the shoes of long-standing lead Gary Lineker. Chapman, a seasoned host of Match of the Day 2 and a regular on BBC Radio 5 Live, was one of these replacements.
The other two are senior BBC Sport anchor Gabby Logan and Kelly Cates, who expanded her role at the Beeb to include television after spearheading Premier League coverage for Sky Sports.
When it comes to Match of the Day, the trio take turns on a weekly basis. The BBC has confirmed that for the upcoming round of top-tier fixtures, Cates will helm the show on Saturday, with Logan stepping in on Sunday.
The trio share duties(Image: PA)
Chapman takes a break, having hosted last Sunday’s episode, reports the Mirror. On Saturday, Cates will be joined in the Match of the Day studio by former Liverpool and Fulham star Danny Murphy, a regular contributor. Ex-Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart is the other guest.
The episode will cover five Premier League matches: Everton vs Chelsea, Brentford vs Liverpool, Fulham vs Hull City, Manchester City vs Ipswich Town and Newcastle vs Aston Villa. Sunday’s edition will be led by Logan, who’ll be joined by former Premier League goalkeeper Shay Given and BBC stalwart Dion Dublin.
Four Premier League clashes will be covered by this trio: Bournemouth vs Sunderland, Brighton vs Crystal Palace, Leeds vs Manchester United and Nottingham Forest vs Arsenal.
Cates and Chapman hit the headlines 11 days ago when it was unveiled that they had embarked on a romantic relationship. Chapman had ended his relationship with Dubai-based property expert Clere Collier in April.
The public has warmly received the new romance, as both Chapman and Cates — daughter of Liverpool legend Sir Kenny Dalglish — have faced personal struggles in recent years.
In 2020, Chapman’s wife, Sara, to whom he had been married for nearly two decades, sadly lost her battle with cancer at just 44 years old. The couple had three children together, who Chapman continues to bring up.
Cates parted ways with TV producer Tom Cates in 2021, after a 14-year marriage. Speaking on colleague Logan’s Life At The Mid Point podcast five years ago, she said: “I don’t have a picture in my head of why a middle-aged, slightly overweight mother of two could possibly be attractive. I can’t get my head round that. It’s not that I’m putting myself down and it’s not a lack of confidence or low self-esteem. It’s just I don’t know what that would look like.”
It’s now reported that she and fellow Match of the Day presenter Chapman are an item. The pair most recently appeared together on an episode of Channel 4’s Celebrity Gogglebox in July.
