Clive Tyldesley has led calls for commentators to be allowed to say “f***” once a season.
Tyldesley was ITV's lead commentator for 22 years, and once the voice of England coverage, having worked on five World Cups and five European Championships in his time.
While he was replaced in that role by Sam Matterface in 2020, he continues to be a prominent voice on Amazon Prime and CBS Sports,
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Moreover, Tyldesley still works with ITV, and will be part of the channel’s Euro 2024 team alongside Matterface, Seb Hutchinson, Pien Meulensteen and Joe Speight.
They will be joined by co-commentators for the tournament including Lee Dixon, Ally McCoist and Andros Townsend.
And speaking ahead of this summer’s Euro 2024 in Germany, the 69-year-old insisted that commentators should be allowed to use explicit language during football’s most tense moments.
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Speaking on the Football Authorities podcast, he said: "I just think once a season a commentator should be allowed to use the F-word without losing their job.
"Some goals, some moments, some misses, simply demand a swear word — the swear word — to capture their full impact.
"I would need to choose the moment carefully . . . but sometimes you need to say what you see."
Elsewhere, while appearing on Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway, Tyldesley blasted Wembley security after pitch invasions interrupted the Champions League final between Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund earlier this month.
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The commentator, who has covered five World Cups, 17 Champions League finals and nine FA Cup finals, said: “Pitch invasions at the start of Saturday’s game were not a laughing matter.
"I think there are all kinds of implications now for Wembley’s ability to stage major international matches. It’s a real worry.”
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Chris Byfield