BBC respond following criticism over 'Misstiano Penaldo' caption during Euros
Penalty Portugal's Between Sixteen Cristiano Of Slovenia Probst Match Ap Round Portugal Reacts And Missing A A After During Ronaldo Photo/michael
The BBC has issued a statement to its viewers who were unhappy with the broadcaster for poking fun at Crisitano Ronaldo following his missed penalty against Slovenia in the last 16 of the Euros.
The Portugal captain was left in tears after missing a crucial penalty in extra time, but he would make amends by netting his spot-kick during their 3-0 shoot-out victory last week.
During the BBC’s post-match analysis, the caption 'Misstiano Penaldo' appeared as the pundits discussed the former Manchester United forward’s earlier miss.
The channel has since been criticised by some of its unamused watching public, forcing them to make the following comment.
"The caption was simply intended as a play on words, which we have done many times before on Match of The Day analysis graphics. There was no offence intended toward Cristiano Ronaldo.
"In fact, throughout the programme we spoke favourably about Ronaldo on a number of occasions, including:
"1. In the pre-match build-up when Jose Fonte highlighted Ronaldo’s dedication to training, saying it’s why 'he’s one of the best-ever'.
"2. At half-time Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer did a long analysis run on Ronaldo’s movement, praising it as 'absolutely fantastic'.
"3. After the penalty shoot-out, Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer both referenced Ronaldo’s courage and self-belief to step forward and take a penalty.
"At no point were the pundits overly critical of Ronaldo and in the context of the programme overall, the tone was consistently respectful towards him.
"However, we appreciate some viewers were unhappy with the graphic and the feedback has been passed on to the production team to help inform their work going forward.”