THE BBC have been forced to issue an apology after a humiliating mix-up meant they wrongly displayed an image of footballer Raheem Sterling in a report about a footballer arrested for sex offences.
A presenter on-air stated that the mistake was due to a “technical error”, emphasising that Sterling is “wholly unconnected” with the allegations.
As sports presenter Mike Bushell updated the public on the arrest, the image of the Chelsea player – which was earlier used on an unrelated segment on his recent club transfer – was displayed on-screen.
The segment detailed a 29-year-old unnamed player, who was arrested earlier this month in North London over allegations of rape committed against a woman in her 20s in June.
The unnamed player was further arrested while in custody over allegations of raping a different woman in April and June 2021. The player denies all allegations and is on bail until August.
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The unnamed Premier League Club to which the player belongs said on Wednesday that they are not currently pursuing action against the player.
The full apology from the BBC regarding the mix-up read on-air stated: “In our sports bulletin earlier, owing to a technical error the wrong picture appeared in connection with a story of a Premier League player arrested over alleged sexual offences.
“A picture of a different and wholly unconnected player was shown. We apologise for that mistake.”
Raheem Sterling on Wednesday swapped Manchester for London, by signing for Chelsea on a five-year deal.
The Blues shelled out £47.5 million to acquire Sterling, who won four league titles during a successful spell at the Etihad Stadium.
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