Past and former Football Focus presenters Dan Walker and Alex Scott were spotted rowing at a charity do according to reports.
Following the revelation that the long-running Saturday show’s ratings are plummeting, the pair were embroiled in a spat on X (formerly Twitter). After Walker, who left the show in 2021, gave his thoughts on Football Focus’ decline, his replacement seemingly took offence.
And according to the Daily Mail, witnesses at the Legends of Football dinner at the Grosvenor Hotel in London, Scott confronted Walker. The pair are said to have had a heated exchange which lasted several minutes, before they eventually parted on good terms with a hug.
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Reports emerged last month that Football Focus, which celebrates its 50th birthday next year, was under threat after losing a third of its audience over the last four years, falling from 849,000 in 2019 to just 564,000 in August.
Channel 5 News presenter Walker waded into the debate by posting on X: “It’s hard to see Football Focus struggling. I loved it growing up and it was an honour to present it and I still miss it. We poured everything into that show every week and worked hard to keep it relevant. I hope it stays part of the TV landscape.”
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Scott hit back by replying with a GIF from children's TV programme iCarly. It shows a girl looking at her computer screen before saying, ‘Interesting’. Walker then posted again: “I’m not saying you haven’t Alex. It’s a saturated market and it’s hard work every week. I hope you have a good show today.”
The decline in viewing figures triggered plenty of debate among football fans over the show’s relevance amid the huge competition from rival channels and social media outlets. The BBC reacted to the reports by insisting Football Focus is not under threat of being cancelled.
They have stressed that the programme is following the “trend of viewing figures declining across all liner channels and programming in recent years”.
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In a statement sent to Daily Star Sport, a BBC spokesperson said: “Football Focus continues to herald the start of a whole weekend packed full of sporting coverage for fans across BBC Sport, including radio, our website and Player.
“Week-on-week it is the most watched programme during that time slot and iPlayer viewing figures are also strong, so we know its popularity is enduring for fans, wherever they choose to watch.”
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