World Cup final commentator Guy Mowbray has been left with egg on his face after an embarrassing double blunder he made during the World Cup final.
BBC commentator Guy Mowbray has made an embarrassing double blunder during the World Cup final.
Social media users were left up in arms after the long serving commentator appeared to not only mistake legendary singer and music producer Pharrell Williams for a completely different artist, but get that musicians name wrong too.
During a break in proceedings during the first half between Spain and Argentina, the stadium cameras stopped on the ‘Happy’ singer who was sat watching the game. After a slightly awkward moment of silence, Mowbray said: “I think that’s AKA Rocky, or A$AP Rocky, sorry…”
Yeah, he didn’t even get that but right…
A$AP Rocky, who is 16 years younger than Pharrell, was also seen in attendance at the Met Life stadium, alongside his partner Rihanna with whom he shares 3 children.
Users on social media were quick to point out Mowbray’s blunder.
Over on X, one user called the clip “hilarious”, while another advised “Sometimes, it’s best to say nothing at all”.
Another said of the slip-up: “He’s had a journalistic stinker. AKA Rocky…”
While most seemed to see the funny side, some users argued that the such a high-profile broadcaster should be able to tell the difference between two A-list celebrities, and thus the incident should be taken more seriously, especially given the mix up involved two African-American musicians.
One user wrote: “Hi BBC I’d like to report racism on air. Your commentator called Pharrell ASAP Rocky.”
Others pointed out that Mowbray was not necessarily there to identify celebrities, but rather to commentate on what is happening on the pitch, with one user arguing that this was an “American. . . obsession”, while another joked that the commentator’s lack of care for knowing which celeb is which was “further cementing his position as the greatest commentator this world cup”.
Guy Mowbray is one of the UK’s best-known football commentators, working primarily for the BBC and TNT Sports. Born in York in 1972, he became the youngest television commentator to call a FIFA World Cup final at just 26.