Wales legend Jonathan 'Jiffy' Davies has paid tribute to a beloved BBC colleague who died "far too young".
Mat Wayne, who worked in TV for over 25 years and was a floor manager for broadcasters at several Olympic Games and World Cups, passed away last week, with his death announced on the BBC during Saturday's FA Cup final between Manchester City and Manchester United.
Match of the Day host Gary Lineker paid an emotional tribute to Mr Wayne during half-time at Wembley, describing him as a "real force of nature" and a "true professional," with commentator Guy Mowbray and presenter Dan Walker also sharing their memories of him.
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Davies has now made a tribute of his own, taking to Twitter to describe his late colleague as "a lovely man" who he will "really miss".
"Another work colleague passes away far too young," he wrote. "RIP Mat. A lovely man and I’ll really miss your dry cutting funny comments."
Mr Wayne's cause of death has not yet been confirmed, but in 2021 he announced on social media that he had been treated for cancer.
During the half-time break in Saturday's final, Lineker said: "'Before we hand back to the second half, everyone at BBC Sport would would like to pay tribute to our much loved friend and colleague Mat Wayne who sadly passed away this week.
"Mat was a real force of nature a true professional and someone we all enjoyed spending time with. We'll all miss him terribly and send out condolences to his family and his friends of which he had many."
The screen then cut to a photo of Mr Wayne, with a caption reading: "Mat Wayne - 1971-2023".
As the second half kicked off, Mowbray added: "It will never not seem strange to me not having Mat by my side during commentary. All our thoughts are there with Sarah, Oscar and Anna". He later tweeted: "I missed my mate today. I will every day."
Former BBC presenter Dan Walker, who also worked with Mr Wayne, was moved by Mowbray's comments and added: "Lovely touch and I thought what [Guy] said was wonderful too. Mat will be missed by so many."
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