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EXCLUSIVE: ITV commentator Clive Tyldesley left World Cup early after being rejected for quarter-final and only asked to work on highlights show, two years after being demoted in favor of Sam Matterface .
Clive Tyldesley left the World Cup early after being passed over for a quarter-final live commentary slot by ITV.
The broadcaster, the channel’s main commentator for more than two decades, flew back to the UK last Wednesday after being asked to provide a featured commentary.
sports mail he understands that Tyldesley asked to come home early after learning he would not comment on one of the two live quarter-finals to which the broadcaster held the rights.
ITV bypassed Clive Tyldesley for live commentary on the quarter-final and he flew home
The 68-year-old decided to return home after only being offered commentary for highlights.
Permission was granted and Tyldesley announced his premature return to the UK by tweeting a photo of a glass of red wine, passport and boarding pass.
“My eighth World Cup at my dream job and the first time I’ve ever been home before England!” he wrote.
The tweet sparked an outpouring of support for Tyldesley, 68, who was retired as ITV’s number one after serving in the role from 1998 to 2020.
He was succeeded by Sam Matterface, and the Bury-born commentator dropped to number two.
Tyldesley was expected to have taken the microphone for the round of 16 match between Morocco and Portugal. But Jon Champion took over for him, with Scottish legend Ally McCoist adding color.
Two years ago, Sam Matterface replaced Tyldesley (left) as ITV’s lead commentator.
Had he remained in Qatar, Tyldesley would have provided highlights of Friday’s package between the Netherlands and Argentina, broadcast live on the BBC, but declined to do so.
In 2020, Tyldesley confirmed that he had been replaced by the 44-year-old Matterface in a video viewed more than 6.5 million times. In it, he said: “To be clear, this is ITV’s decision, not mine,” he said.
“I am upset, upset and bewildered.” A clearly devastated Tyldesley added: ‘I love this job and it’s gone. Why? I dont know.’
ITV bosses added the popular McCoist to a line-up of Matterface and Lee Dixon for Tuesday night’s Argentina-Croatia clash, while McCoist and Seb Hutchinson will do the highlights between Morocco and France.
ITV declined to comment.