The BBC has responded to numerous complaints regarding its coverage following Cristiano Ronaldo’s missed penalty against Slovenia.
During extra-time, Ronaldo’s penalty was saved by Jan Oblak, leaving the former Real Madrid star visibly emotional, with tears streaming down his face.
Despite this set back, Portugal still advanced to the last 16 of Euro 2024 after a penalty shoot-out win.
The BBC faced outrage when it aired replays of Ronaldo’s penalty alongside the pun “Misstiano Penaldo.”
The media house got widespread criticism from viewers who found the caption disrespectful.
Despite the miss, Ronaldo received strong support from his national team. Manager Roberto Martinez praised him, saying, “He is happy taking that responsibility and has got that belief. I thanked him [afterwards] for being the way he is, for caring for the group.
“I was certain that he would be the first penalty taker and show us the way to take victory. I think we’re all very proud of our captain. Our dressing room was all delighted. I think he gave us all a lesson. Life and football gives you difficult moments and the way he reacted shows why we are so proud in Portuguese football.”
Teammate Diogo Costa added, “We all know that Cristiano is the hardest worker. I understand how frustrated he is because he devotes all his time to this. It’s a pleasure and an honour to be on the same team as him.
“We’re a family, I really think this. I focus on making the best of these chances and I wanted to help the team. This is the most important thing. This is probably the best game of my life.”
Defending their coverage, the BBC stated, “The caption was simply intended as a play on words, which we have done many times on Match of the Day analysis graphics. There was no offence intended toward Cristiano Ronaldo,” reports the Mirror.
The corporation argued that “at no point were the pundits overly critical of Ronaldo” and maintained “consistent respect towards him.” Nonetheless, the BBC acknowledged that some fans were “unhappy” and confirmed feedback would be provided to their production team.
The BBC cited positive comments made by Jose Fonte, Gary Lineker, and Alan Shearer, “Ronaldo’s courage and self-belief to step forward and take a penalty.”
Despite missing in extra time, Ronaldo manages to score a penalty during the shoot-out.
Unfortunately, Portugal was eliminated in the quarter-final as goalkeeper Costa, who saved all three of Slovenia’s penalties, couldn’t replicate his heroics against France.
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