One Premier League legend turned ITV pundit found himself in hot water after giving away his tickets at a World Cup and paying the consequences
Robbie Earle was sacked by ITV after his allocated tickets for the 2010 World Cup were spotted being used by models in minidresses.
As the 2026 World Cup draw nears, some may recall the former Port Vale and Wimbledon star’s incident with the broadcaster during the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Earle had been working for ITV since 2002, but a FIFA investigation into the ejection of 36 women from the Netherlands’ opening match against Denmark led to the termination of his position.
The group of women, recognisable in their bright orange minidresses, were at the match as part of an “ambush marketing” stunt. The tiny dresses were worn with the aim of promoting Bavaria Beer, a Dutch company.
It was alleged at the time that former midfielder Earle’s tickets – which were meant for his family and friends – had been used by a third party, which broke FIFA’s official regulations. As a result, the pundit lost his job.
In a statement at the time, ITV said: “Following claims by Fifa that official 2010 World Cup tickets may have been used for ambush marketing, ITV has reviewed its entire ticket allocation for the tournament. Immediate investigations indicated that a block of ITV tickets would appear to have been used for unauthorised purposes during the Holland v Denmark match.
“Further inquiries have revealed that a substantial number of tickets allocated to Robbie Earle for family and friends have been passed to a third party in breach of Fifa rules. As a result, Robbie Earle’s contract with ITV has been terminated with immediate effect.”
Earle hit back at the broadcaster following his exit, claiming that he was given 400 tickets that he applied for and told ITV he would be giving some to a friend. He said: “I told them that I was giving them to a friend and I even asked if he could pay ITV directly for the tickets he had.”
The tickets had been marked with a warning stating that FIFA were the only ones who could give consent for tickets to be passed onto others. However, Earle was of the opinion that he would be fine to do so as he had told ITV his plans.
The ex-Wimbledon star claimed he knew nothing of his friend’s plans to use the tickets in a profitable way and added: “He has badly let me down and cost me my job at ITV, where I have been for nine years.”
Earle, who appeared in the 1998 World Cup with Jamaica, scoring the nation’s first-ever goal in the finals, continued: “Call me naive, but I didn’t think I was doing anything wrong. I hope when people hear the full story they will see me in a different light.
“I have absolutely no connection with any marketing ambush agency and have not profited in any way from these tickets.”
Following his exit from ITV, Earle is now a regular studio analyst for NBC Sports in the United States, working primarily on Premier League coverage.