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Sky Sports presenter Andy Gray has been sacked in the wake of comments made about female assistant referee Sian Massey.
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Andy Gray's sacking relates to an "off air incident" which took place in December 2010
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Lineswoman Sian Massey withdrawn from tonight's Crewe-Bradford game to avoid focus being on officials, not players
Das hätte sich der gute Andy auch nicht gedacht, dass er eines Tages wegen einer Schiedsrichterassistentin seinen Job verliert.
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Andy Gray, the Sky Sports presenter at the centre of a sexism storm following derogatory comments about a female official, has been sacked by the broadcaster in response to "new evidence of unacceptable and offensive behaviour".
Sky Sports managing director Barney Francis, who yesterday disciplined both Gray and Richard Keys for their comments, said he had "no hesitation" in summarily terminating Gray's contract.
"Andy Gray's contract has been terminated for unacceptable behaviour. After issuing a warning yesterday, we have no hesitation in taking this action after becoming aware of new information today," he said.
Sky said in a statement that the new evidence related to "an off-air incident that took place in December 2010" and "came to light after Andy Gray had already been subjected to disciplinary action for his comments of 22 January 2011".
It is not clear whether the incident in question is a YouTube clip that emerged today that showed Gray making sexist comments to a co-presenter before going on air.
Gray, Sky's expert pundit for almost two decades in a long standing partnership with Keys, was originally suspended yesterday after a Sunday newspaper published a transcript of the pair criticising female match official Sian Massey during the Wolves v Liverpool match on Saturday. The pair discussed Massey's appointment for the game at Molineux on Saturday, speaking when they believed their microphones were switched off. They agreed that female officials "don't know the offside rule", with Keys adding: "I can guarantee you there'll be a big one today. Kenny [Dalglish] will go potty."
Keys went to remark on the newspaper column by West Ham vice chair Karren Brady, saying: "The game's gone mad. See charming Karren Brady this morning complaining about sexism? Yeah. Do me a favour, love."
Brady said the comments made her "blood boil" while England captain Rio Ferdinand labelled them "prehistoric".
Keys apologised to Massey, was idue to run the line tonight at a League Two match between Crewe and Bradford, by telephone on Sunday night.
Earlier today, a third Sky Sports presenter was taken off air. Andy Burton was shown discussing Sian Massey with Gray ahead of Saturday's match in footage leaked to sister channel Sky News.
Burton said "apparently, a female lino today, bit of a looker", with Gray responding: "A female linesman?"
"He [a Sky Sports crew member] says she [Massey] is all right," Burton continued, "now I don't know if I should trust his judgement on that?"
Gray then said: "No, I wouldn't. I definitely wouldn't ... I can see her from here," before swearing and adding: "What do women know about the offside rule?"
Burton had been due to appear in his role as a touchline reporter on Sky's coverage of tomorrow night's Carling Cup semi-final second leg between Birmingham City and West Ham but will now be replaced.
It is understood that Sky had originally planned to treat Gray's exchange with Burton as part of the same disciplinary charge but the emergence of the new evidence made his position untenable.
The former Everton and Aston Villa player, believed to be on a seven-figure salary and a key component in Sky Sports' growth story over 20 years, recently began legal action against the News of the World - another arm of Rupert Murdoch's empire - over phone hacking allegations. Betfair, the online betting exchange endorsed by Gray, earlier today condemned the former player's behaviour but said it would not be dropping him from its advertising for now. Gray has been a very visible presence in its latest advertising campaigns. "Betfair doesn't tolerate sexism, and we expect others who represent our brand to share similar values," said a spokesman. "We've expressed our disappointment to Andy Gray's representatives about the comments that have been reported in the media over the last 48 hours. At present we have no plans to change the way we work with Andy."
Sky Sports managing director Barney Francis, who yesterday disciplined both Gray and Richard Keys for their comments, said he had "no hesitation" in summarily terminating Gray's contract.
"Andy Gray's contract has been terminated for unacceptable behaviour. After issuing a warning yesterday, we have no hesitation in taking this action after becoming aware of new information today," he said.
Sky said in a statement that the new evidence related to "an off-air incident that took place in December 2010" and "came to light after Andy Gray had already been subjected to disciplinary action for his comments of 22 January 2011".
It is not clear whether the incident in question is a YouTube clip that emerged today that showed Gray making sexist comments to a co-presenter before going on air.
Gray, Sky's expert pundit for almost two decades in a long standing partnership with Keys, was originally suspended yesterday after a Sunday newspaper published a transcript of the pair criticising female match official Sian Massey during the Wolves v Liverpool match on Saturday. The pair discussed Massey's appointment for the game at Molineux on Saturday, speaking when they believed their microphones were switched off. They agreed that female officials "don't know the offside rule", with Keys adding: "I can guarantee you there'll be a big one today. Kenny [Dalglish] will go potty."
Keys went to remark on the newspaper column by West Ham vice chair Karren Brady, saying: "The game's gone mad. See charming Karren Brady this morning complaining about sexism? Yeah. Do me a favour, love."
Brady said the comments made her "blood boil" while England captain Rio Ferdinand labelled them "prehistoric".
Keys apologised to Massey, was idue to run the line tonight at a League Two match between Crewe and Bradford, by telephone on Sunday night.
Earlier today, a third Sky Sports presenter was taken off air. Andy Burton was shown discussing Sian Massey with Gray ahead of Saturday's match in footage leaked to sister channel Sky News.
Burton said "apparently, a female lino today, bit of a looker", with Gray responding: "A female linesman?"
"He [a Sky Sports crew member] says she [Massey] is all right," Burton continued, "now I don't know if I should trust his judgement on that?"
Gray then said: "No, I wouldn't. I definitely wouldn't ... I can see her from here," before swearing and adding: "What do women know about the offside rule?"
Burton had been due to appear in his role as a touchline reporter on Sky's coverage of tomorrow night's Carling Cup semi-final second leg between Birmingham City and West Ham but will now be replaced.
It is understood that Sky had originally planned to treat Gray's exchange with Burton as part of the same disciplinary charge but the emergence of the new evidence made his position untenable.
The former Everton and Aston Villa player, believed to be on a seven-figure salary and a key component in Sky Sports' growth story over 20 years, recently began legal action against the News of the World - another arm of Rupert Murdoch's empire - over phone hacking allegations. Betfair, the online betting exchange endorsed by Gray, earlier today condemned the former player's behaviour but said it would not be dropping him from its advertising for now. Gray has been a very visible presence in its latest advertising campaigns. "Betfair doesn't tolerate sexism, and we expect others who represent our brand to share similar values," said a spokesman. "We've expressed our disappointment to Andy Gray's representatives about the comments that have been reported in the media over the last 48 hours. At present we have no plans to change the way we work with Andy."
Dieser Beitrag wurde von themanwho bearbeitet: 25. January 2011 - 17:41
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