BBC presenter Mark Chapman was urged to address the ‘elephant in the room’ during the broadcaster’s World Cup coverage of the Netherlands’ clash against Sweden on Saturday evening
Mark Chapman quipped that the BBC were ‘based in Houston’ after being pressed to tackle the ‘elephant in the room’. Chapman was anchoring the Beeb’s live coverage of the Netherlands’ encounter with Sweden on Saturday evening.
After welcoming viewers to the programme’s opening and presenting a nostalgic segment about the Cruyff turn, Chapman moved on to introduce the studio pundits. However, following his introduction of Micah Richards, Thomas Frank and Ellen White, Richards swiftly interjected, asking Chapman: “Lets address the elephant in the room first.”
A taken-aback Chapman responded: “There is no elephant in the room,” with Richards promptly retorting: “The shirt! It is a bit fancy for you, Chappers.”
The 52 year old was sporting a rather flamboyant red and black shirt, and following praise from Frank and White, Richards remarked: “Are you going to Miami? Are you going to New York? I know you are going over there for radio, but you are not over yet.”
Chapman swiftly fired back: “It is a lovely Saturday afternoon here. Where are we? Houston and I thought I would just keep the vibe. Can I talk about football now?”, reports the Mirror.
The BBC has faced criticism for positioning their World Cup coverage studio in Salford rather than America. Meanwhile, ITV’s studio boasts a spectacular backdrop of the Brooklyn Bridge.
And MLS outfit Houston Dynamo couldn’t help but have a dig at the BBC after catching a blunder during a live transmission earlier this week. During Portugal’s 1-1 stalemate with DR Congo on Wednesday, June 17, Chapman was accompanied by Wayne Rooney, Olivier Giroud and Gael Clichy, with a backdrop behind the panel showcasing a stunning Houston skyline – fitting given the encounter took place at the Houston Stadium.
Yet sharp-eyed watchers were swift to notice that the picture on display had been doctored to feature dramatic mountain scenery – considering the World Cup host city, which sits 105 feet above sea level, lacks such peaks. The MLS outfit then took to social media to post a doctored photograph of their Shell Energy Stadium set against a snow-capped mountain backdrop.
They captioned the post: “You just can’t beat this view.”
Ex-BBC stalwart Gary Lineker cheekily suggested that his former workmates were positioned in ‘a green box in Salford’. And the ‘elephant in the room’ Richards alluded to at the beginning of Saturday’s programme could also relate to the former England striker appearing on ITV’s tournament coverage.
Lineker has been scheduled as a pundit for the group stage encounter between Germany and Ivory Coast on Saturday evening. The ex-Everton and Tottenham Hotspur striker had been expected to front the tournament coverage for the BBC, but his deal with the corporation concluded after the 2024-25 campaign following a row over social media activity.
Although Lineker has taken a step back from mainstream media, he continues to be a leading figure in sports broadcasting and is currently hosting his The Rest is Football podcast from New York. Alongside co-hosts Alan Shearer and Richards, Lineker presents a daily edition of the show following a lucrative contract with Netflix.