ITV will launch their EFL coverage with a new face on their Saturday night prime time slot.
TV and radio host Hugh Woozencroft is set to get the presenting gig for the highlights show which will be aired at 9pm on ITV4 and again on the main channel after the BBC ’s Match of the Day with a repeat on Sunday morning.
Woozencroft, who has previously worked at the BBC and also presents on talkSPORT and Times radio, will become a very recognisable face because the show will be a comprehensive round-up from the Championship plus Leagues One and Two.
ITV's new two year deal kicks in from next season and also includes highlights of the play-offs, Carabao Cup and Papa John’s Trophy. In total, a staggering 1891 games each season and to be back on terrestrial TV is a huge boost for the EFL.
Broadcaster Quest has done an excellent job and their presenter Colin Murray is hugely popular for his enthusiasm and football knowledge. But the EFL stressed the importance of being back on terrestrial TV as a key reason when they announced the ITV deal and it could be a big shot in the arm for clubs after such a tough period following the pandemic. It also ensures that armchair fans have got a whole night of football to enjoy with Match of the Day and the new ITV show.
Meanwhile, Channel 4 could have scored an easy win by bringing back ever popular Clive Tyldesley for their England coverage. The channel has won the rights to show England’s Nations League campaign and Euro qualifiers but are set to go in a “different direction” according to TV insiders. Channel 4 bosses have spoken to several candidates but, despite a big public clamour, will not be bringing back former ITV lead commentator Tyldesley for their coverage which starts next month.
They are likely to go with a new voice for the future having also resisted going with current BBC names, too. Kate Abdo appears to be among the front runners to be presenter. She is an absolute star on CBS’s Champions League coverage and there cannot be a better sports host on television right now.
Crowd problems on the rise
The rise in crowd trouble inside stadiums has been a horrible and worrying development for football. That has included the sudden rise in pitch invasions and also the use of flares at matches which was very noticeable at the FA Cup final and feels it will happen again at the Champions League final in Paris. UEFA regularly punishes clubs for flares and fireworks and yet does not seem to have been able to stop the problem as effectively as the Premier League and its clubs.
Premier League clubs did step up security and checks in the wake of the pandemic and, while there have been ugly incidents such as coin and bottle throwing when Aston Villa won at Everton, the incidents have been fewer and far between, especially when it comes to flares. There has been a drive to stop crowd trouble in the top flight and the EFL are clearly trying to follow suit with threats of bans for pitch invasions while the Government is threatening five year bans for fans convicted of cocaine use which has been prevalent and a big issue in football for years.
The North London derby was one of the biggest ever police operations with around 500 officers on duty. An off duty Arsenal steward, who looks after disabled fans, was hit by a bottle thrown into the crowd outside the ground. But he was back at work the next day and in duty at Newcastle on Monday night.
Greek owner active despite Putin links
Greek-Russian businessman Ivan Savvidis, the majority shareholder of Greek Super League club PAOK, has not been sanctioned despite his close ties to Vladimir Putin. But Savvidis, a former MP in Putin's Government, does have a link with English football in as much as PAOK sold two players to Norwich in big, money-spinning deals.
Dimitris Giannoulis went to Norwich for £6m and Greek winger Christos Tzolis joined for £10m but has not managed a single Premier League goal. It was Savvidis who personally rubber stamped the Tzolis deal. Savvidis has not been seen recently in Salonica and received a suspended 25-month prison sentence for storming on to a pitch with a holstered gun on his belt to confront a referee in 2018. Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich has been under Government sanctions with tight restrictions on the club itself amid ongoing concerns about where money is going.
