BBC pundit sacked for saying he wants us to win the semi

<table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="629" border="0"><tbody><tr><td colspan="3"><div class="mxb"><div class="sh">BBC pundit dropped in FA Cup row </div></div></td></tr><tr><td style="width: 416px" valign="top"><div class="storybody"><table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="203" align="right" border="0"><tbody><tr><td><div> <div class="cap">Leighton James was born in Swansea and played for the club</div></div></td></tr></tbody></table>A former Welsh international will not be used as a BBC Wales pundit &quot;for the foreseeable future&quot; after backing Cardiff City's opponents in the FA Cup.

Leighton James, who played for Swansea City, Cardiff's local rivals, said he wanted Barnsley to win the semi-final. </p>

He said Cardiff making the final would be &quot;hard to take for Swansea fans&quot;. </p>

A BBC Wales spokeswoman said: &quot;By mutual agreement, Leighton James will not be participating in any BBC Wales programmes for the foreseeable future&quot;. </p>

Mr James made his comments in his column in the Swansea-based South Wales Evening Post after Cardiff secured their place in the semi-final, to be played at Wembley on 6 April. </p>

He wrote that 99.9% of Swansea fans would support Barnsley on the day, and Cardiff supporters would do the same if Swansea were playing. </p>

Mr James wrote that it was a difficult choice, because &quot;as a proud Welshman you want the clubs from your country to go as far as they can&quot;. </p>

But he said he also wanted the Swansea-born Barnsley manager Simon Davey to do well, and concluded: &quot;So, to be brutally honest, I think I'm behind Barnsley on this one&quot;. </p>

Mr James played for Swansea during the early 1980s and won 54 Welsh caps. </p></div></td></tr></tbody></table>

 

Sacked for being honest - won't be the last!

Can't say I'm comfortable with the thought of Swansea being on our side.

 

What happened to the BBC's new transparency?

Presumably he was expected to pretend that he was impartial? Doesn't sit well with the beeb's pledges to stop deceiving the public, does it?

Doesn't even sound like anything he said was at all controversial - all sounds like pretty standard stuff you'd expect any footie fan to say.

 

Don't think he's actually been sacked

As they work freelance as a pundit, just says they won't be using him in the foreseeable future.

Fair enough he said what he thought and nowt wrong in that, but lets be honest here - what would our reaction be if a pundit on Radio Sheffield said he wanted Cardiff to beat us....don't think we'd be best pleased.

 

RE: Don't think he's actually been sacked

http://www.barnsleyfc.org.uk/bbs/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=103357&posts=2#M667416

Happened a while back - not suprised it took the beeb a while to report it!

 

The bosses in BBC Wales must be Cardiff fans. This is what I will call biased sacking, and here in Norway it is against the law. If it was me who was sacked for saying what Leighton James said, i would sue BBC asses off.

 

But he hasn't been sacked!

He's a freelance pundit, paid when they want someone in....so they just choose not to use him!
So he can't really sue.

 

RE: But he hasn't been sacked!

You're quite correct, it's not a sacking, but it's still wrong.