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‘Your comments were racist, offensive’
By Tasie Theodore
For comparing members of the Senegal national team, the Teranga Lions, that defeated Poland 2-1 in their opening match at the 2018 World Cup to Spanish beach touts, the Senegalese presidency is asking the British Broadcasting Corporation, BBC to fire the presenter and host of The Apprentice, 71-year old Lord Alan Sugar.
Sugar, a billionaire businessman and former chairman of Tottenham Hotspurs had made the comparison in a tweet he posted minutes after the match.
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After initially bluffing early critics of his offensive tone, the veteran presenter was later forced to admit his folly, pull down the tweet and apologise. But that was already over one hour (too) late.
The intervention by the Senegalese presidency was made by the Special Adviser on Youth and Sports to President Macky Sall, Ndongo Ndiaye.
Sall was himself present at the stadium to watch the match himself and join in spurring the team to victory.
There has also been a groundswell of criticism trailing Sugar’s action, including one from Labour MP, Dawn Butler who has promised to write to the House of Lords Commissioner for Standards and the BBC itself to insist on a full investigation.
Ahead of that however, the BBC’s official position is that: “Lord Sugar has acknowledged this was a seriously misjudged tweet, and he’s in no doubt about our view on this. It’s right he’s apologised unreservedly.”
The Teranga Lions of Senegal celebrating their very sweet victory. They are the only African team to have won a match yet in the ongoing tournament. Nigeria’s Super Eagles hopes to rival that record in its match against Iceland that is scheduled for 4.00pm Friday.
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