BBC release official statement on criticism over labeling Cristiano Ronaldo as "Misstiano Penaldo" after Euro 2024 penalty miss
The British Broadcasting Company (BBC) have released an official statement after garnering flak from football fans for branding Portugal superstar Cristiano Ronaldo as 'Misstiano Penaldo.' The incident occurred during their live coverage of the Euro 2024 Round of 16 fixture between Portugal and Slovenia.
With the game tied at 0-0 in the 104th minute, Roberto Martinez's side were awarded a golden opportunity to take the lead. Slovenia defender Vanja Drkusic pulled Diogo Jota down inside the box and the referee immediately pointed to the spot.
In an attempt to open his goalscoring account for the tournament, Ronaldo stepped up to take the spot-kick. However, Slovenia captain Jan Oblak dived low to his left and kept the 39-year-old's effort out, leaving him in tears.
In the half-time break during extra time, the BBC aired replays of the penalty with the caption "Misstiano Penaldo." However, the ex-Real Madrid forward would go on to have the last laugh.
After the game ended 0-0, he scored the opening penalty in the shootout, and goalkeeper Diogo Costa saved all three Slovenian penalties to help A Selecao win 3-0.
Former English centre-back John Terry called the broadcasters a disgrace and fans branded the caption as a Tiktokization of football punditry. In response to the criticism, the BBC released a statement on July 8, which read (via Daily Mail):
"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."
"We spoke favorably about Ronaldo" - BBC counters fans' disapproval of 'Misstiano Penaldo' jibe
In the statement released by the BBC on July 8, they countered the fans' disapproval of the 'Misstiano Penaldo' jibe aimed at Cristiano Ronaldo in their Euro 2024 broadcast.
They mentioned multiple instances during the broadcast when their pundits were full of praise for the Al-Nassr frontman. In the pre-match build-up, former Portugal defender Jose Fonte commended his compatriot's dedication, which made him the best ever.
Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer also analyzed the five-time Ballon d'Or winner's movement, calling it absolutely fantastic. They also praised the Portuguese maestro's self-confidence as he stepped up to take the first spot-kick of the shootout.
Referencing these events, the statement said (via Daily Mail):
"In fact, throughout the programme we spoke favourably about Ronaldo on a number of occasions... 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."
Further in the statement, the BBC promised to take the viewers' feedback into account and keep that in mind for further broadcasts, adding:
"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."
Despite winning against Slovenia, Portugal would get knocked out of Euro 2024 in the quarter-finals, losing 5-3 on penalties against France with the scores level at 0-0 after 120 minutes.