ITV must hang head in shame amid dangerous scenes during West Brom v Wolves at The Hawthorns
The much-anticipated FA Cup clash between West Brom and Wolves was overshadowed by crowd trouble on Sunday, with the Black Country Derby showdown suspended 12 minutes from time.
Pedro Neto opened the scoring in the first half, seven minutes from the break before Matheus Cunha doubled Wolves’ lead at The Hawthorns with a smart shot under the hesitant Joshua Griffiths. Just moments later, the game had to be paused.
Rather than any rough fouls or anger on the pitch, though, it was crowd trouble that eventually brought the game to a halt as a mix of fans came together in the corner of the Halfords Lane and Brummie Road Ends at The Hawthorns.
The game would eventually restart after the crowd had been calmed down and any medical emergencies had been tended to, following talk about the possibility of the game being called off.
Instead of documenting the scenes on live television, ITV chose to shy away from what was happening, prompting some to rage at their coverage.
As one of the UK’s biggest broadcasters and one of the only channels with the rights to cover the FA Cup, it is a massive shame that they chose to show a standard shot of the pitch rather than zooming in on the current issues.
ESPN journalist Mark Ogden took to X to voice his anger, writing: “ITV should be showing the full trouble at West Brom rather than focusing on the pitch. It’s news, viewers shouldn’t be sheltered from disorder, even if it isn’t comfortable watching for the FA and sponsors.”
If Ogden is correct, and the broadcasters wanted to make the FA and sponsors feel more comfortable, it is a terrible decision for a free-to-air public broadcast television network. Anything shown should be for the public, who are entitled to breaking news.
TV broadcasters have very little time to decide how they are going to cover events like this at football games. And although the scenes did look harrowing, it should be something that is covered rather than ignored.
Hooliganism is not something that cannot be hidden. It is a part of the sport’s history, an aspect that has made it the game it is today.
In other West Brom news, Lewis Cox has mooted a potential new “sacrifice” in the January transfer window at The Hawthorns
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