Rio Ferdinand

2022 - 12 - 15

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Image courtesy of "Mirror.co.uk"

BBC respond to reports Rio Ferdinand was dropped from World Cup ... (Mirror.co.uk)

There have been claims that the former Manchester United and England defender was overlooked for the BBC's coverage in Qatar and an official statement has ...

However, recent reports from [Mail Online](https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-11534931/Rio-Ferdinand-dropped-BBC-World-Cup-game-amid-fears-hypocrisy-accusations.html) have claimed that the channel were forced to drop the 44-year-old for the [opening match of the tournament between Qatar and Ecuador](https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/match-reports/world-cup-qatar-ecuador-highlights-28539856). Ahead of the showpiece in Qatar, Ferdinand has also told Argentina how they could exploit France’s weakness to win their first World Cup since 1986. This is unfortunate - [Lucas] Hernandez obviously gets a serious injury on this side but it’s become a common thing throughout the World Cup. The match will be broadcast live on both BBC and As a result of this, the BBC elected to replace Ferdinand with former Wales defender Ashley Williams. Their coverage of the tournament opened up with Lineker and a Due to the same concerns being prevalent in Middle East neighbours Saudi Arabia, there were worries that Ferdinand featuring would have seen the channel met with ethical issues. A BBC spokesperson said: “This is categorically untrue. [Make your predictions in the comments below](https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/bbc-rio-ferdinand-worldcup-qatar-28737908#comments-section) [video montage condemning the human rights issues and concerns in Qatar in favour of the opening ceremony](https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/lineker-world-cup-bbc-ceremony-28541641). [Manchester United](https://www.mirror.co.uk/all-about/manchester-united-fc) and [England](https://www.mirror.co.uk/all-about/england-football-team) defender has been a regular feature on a panel of experts throughout the tournament alongside the likes of [Gary Lineker](https://www.mirror.co.uk/all-about/gary-lineker), [Alan Shearer](https://www.mirror.co.uk/all-about/alan-shearer) and more. [BBC](https://www.mirror.co.uk/all-about/bbc) has been forced to deny “categorically untrue” claims that [Rio Ferdinand](https://www.mirror.co.uk/all-about/rio-ferdinand) was dropped from the channel’s coverage of the [World Cup](https://www.mirror.co.uk/all-about/fifa-world-cup) in Qatar.

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Image courtesy of "HITC"

Was Rio Ferdinand dropped by the BBC? Situation explained after ... (HITC)

Was Rio Ferdinand dropped by the BBC? This has been a frequently asked question after the 44-year-old was absent during World Cup coverage.

This has been a frequently asked question in recent days after the 44-year-old was absent during [World Cup](/en-gb/football/world-cup/) coverage. Was Rio Ferdinand dropped by the BBC? [Rio Ferdinand](/en-gb/topic/rio-ferdinand/) dropped by the BBC?

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Image courtesy of "Daily Express"

BBC shoot down claims Rio Ferdinand was 'dropped' from World ... (Daily Express)

The ex-England defender was said to be due to feature alongside Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer and Alex Scott in the studio before Ashley Williams was quickly ...

The timing of the opening ceremony was changed to an earlier time very recently and WSL was already confirmed on @bbcone. He tweeted: "It was shown live in its entirety on @BBCiplayer, BBC Sport website and red button. The former [Manchester United](/latest/manchester-united-fc) defender was reportedly 'dropped' for the match due to his links with Saudia Arabia, it had been claimed earlier this week. It was important to represent the home nations within the opening show and these were the key considerations for the line-up chosen, any suggestion otherwise is completely false.” Ferdinand previously tweeted: "Just landed in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia! However, the BBC have now shot down those claims.

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