Sports broadcaster Clive Tyldesley is leaving his role as ITV’s main football commentator after 22 years in the post.
Tyldesley, who has voiced some of football’s biggest matches for over the past two decades, will remain part of the ITV Sport team and continue to commentate on major games.
ITV pundit Sam Matterface, who commentated the 2018 Russia World Cup, will be taking over as lead commentator from the start of the new season.
Matterface, who has presented Sky Sports News and commentated for ITV’s Dancing on Ice, will also continue to act as Talksport’s chief football commentator alongside his new role at ITV.
“On behalf of ITV Sport, I would like to thank Clive for his superb work leading our commentary on some of the biggest occasions in world football throughout his outstanding career with us,” said Niall Sloane, Director of ITV Sport.
“We are very glad he will continue with us and look forward to working with him on many more occasions in the future.“
Tyldesley joined ITV as an understudy to Brian Moore in 1996, leaving his role at the BBC. He became ITV’s senior footballer commentator two years later, following the 1998 World Cup final.
The 65-year-old led ITV’s commentary crew at four World Cups and four European Championships since, as well as the last 17 UEFA Champions League Finals, during which he famously cried, “Solskjaer has won it!” as Manchester United beat Bayern Munich in 1999.
He provided football commentary for the biggest British audience in history for a single game, when over 24.3 million viewers tuned in to watch the Three Lions losing to Croatia at the 2018 World Cup semi-final.
Tyldesley was due to lead ITV’s commentary team for the postponed Euro 2020 finals this summer.
from Radio Times https://ift.tt/2BZMZUn
