ITV opts for new EFL presenter as Channel 4 decides not to bring Clive Tyldesley back

Clive Tyldesley will no longer cover England games after Channel 4 won the broadcast rights, while Hugh Woozencroft will be given a new gig as presenter for ITV’s EFL coverage

ITV will launch its EFL coverage with a new face on Saturday nights prime time.

TV and radio presenter Hugh Woozencroft will be the presenter for the highlights show, which airs at 9pm on ITV4 and again on the main channel after BBC’s Match of the Day with a repeat on Sunday morning.

Woozencroft, who previously worked at the BBC and also hosts talkSPORT and Times Radio, will become a very recognizable face as the show will be a comprehensive round-up of the Championship and Leagues One and Two.

ITV’s new two-year deal comes into effect next season and also includes highlights from the playoffs, the Carabao Cup and the Papa John’s Trophy. A whopping 1891 games a season overall and the return to terrestrial television is a huge boost for the EFL.

Broadcaster Quest did an excellent job and their host Colin Murray is well known for his enthusiasm and knowledge of football. However, the EFL stressed the importance of being back on terrestrial television as a key reason when they announced the ITV deal and it could be a big step in the arm for clubs after such a difficult post-pandemic period. It also ensures that armchair fans can enjoy a full night of football with Match of the Day and the new ITV show.

Meanwhile, Channel 4 could have picked up an easy win by bringing back the ever-popular Clive Tyldesley for their England coverage. The channel has been given the rights to show England’s Nations League campaign and Euro qualifiers but is said to be going in a “different direction”, according to TV insiders. Channel 4 bosses have spoken to several candidates but will not bring back former ITV senior commentator Tyldesley for their coverage, which begins next month, despite a major public uproar.

They’ll likely go with a new voice for the future, having also resisted going with current BBC names. Kate Abdo seems to be among the front runners as a presenter. She’s an absolute star in CBS’s Champions League coverage, and there’s no better sports host on TV right now.

mass problems on the rise

The increase in spectator problems at stadiums was a terrible and worrying development for football. These included the sudden increase in pitch invasions and also the use of flares at matches, which was very noticeable at the FA Cup final and will happen again at the Champions League final in Paris. UEFA regularly penalizes clubs for torches and fireworks and yet does not seem to be able to stop the problem as effectively as the Premier League and its clubs.

Premier League clubs have stepped up security and controls in the wake of the pandemic and while there were ugly incidents such as coin and bottle tosses during Aston Villa’s win at Everton, incidents have been increasingly rare, particularly when flares are involved. There have been moves to stop the troubles faced by top-flight viewers and the EFL are clearly trying to follow suit with threats of bans for pitch invasions, while the government is threatening five-year bans on fans convicted of the widespread and large-scale use of cocaine in the game football for years.

With around 500 officers on duty, the North London Derby was one of the largest police operations of all time. An off-duty Arsenal steward attending to disabled fans was hit by a bottle thrown into the crowd off the ground. But he was back at work the next day and on duty in Newcastle on Monday night.

Greek owner active despite Putin links

Greek-Russian businessman Ivan Savvidis, 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, is linked to English football in that PAOK sold two players to Norwich in big money-making deals.

Dimitris Giannoulis joined Norwich for £6m and Greek winger Christos Tzolis joined for £10m but has not scored a single Premier League goal. It was Savvidis who personally approved the Tzolis deal. Savvidis has not been seen in Thessaloniki recently and received a 25-month suspended sentence for bursting onto a pitch with a pistol holstered on his belt to confront a referee in 2018. Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich has been hit with severe restrictions by the government, even amid ongoing concerns about where the money is going.