When the staffers who create the BBC‘s soccer captions woke up Monday morning, they probably couldn’t have imagined that they would have attracted the ire of Cristiano Ronaldo fans by bedtime.
But in the past hour, the BBC has posted on its complaints website stating that the corporation received “some complaints” about a caption, which amusingly read “Misstiano Penaldo.” The caption was overlaid over clips of the superstar missing a crucial penalty against Slovenia that could have led to Portugal’s elimination from the Euros against the underdog nation. Ronaldo was visibly emotional after missing the penalty and could be seen being comforted by teammates.
The BBC said it “appreciates 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,” adding that the caption was “simply intended as a play on words” and there was “no offence intended towards Cristiano Ronaldo.”
The BBC highlighted three instances of pundits praising the former Manchester United and Real Madrid player, including Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer “both referencing Ronaldo’s courage and self-belief to step forward and take a penalty.”
The graphic appeared during a studio discussion ahead of Portugal’s penalty shootout with Slovenia after the match ended 0-0.
Ronaldo, who now plays in Saudi Arabia, ended up having the last laugh, redeeming himself by scoring the first penalty of the shootout as Portugal ran out victorious. They play holders France tomorrow evening.
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