Match of The Day an absolute disgrace with this Newcastle United coverage | OneFootball

I can’t believe this from Match of The Day.

I have only just got around to watching Saturday night’s programme.

I’m sitting there watching and enjoying our four goals against Tottenham again and then waiting… and waiting… and waiting… and still waiting…

Something seriously missing.

A magical incident that was surely the feel good moment of the weekend, if not the season.

Newcastle United scoring and NUFC players celebrating in front of the Milburn stand.

Then Dan Burn doing this…

I watched all the way through Match of The Day, right until the credits at the end, not a single mention or scrap of footage of this joyous moment that topped off a quite brilliant initiative.

Now before anybody starts calling presenter Gary Lineker or pundits Martin Keown and Micah Richards, they are NOT responsible. We are talking about the Match of The Day production team who put the programme together, choose the clips, edit the action and so on. Whoever was in charge of this shocking omission should apologise.

The people at Match of The Day can hardly say they were unaware of this.

During the TNT Sports coverage, which I recorded and watched on Sunday, they repeatedly showed the group of young deaf Newcastle United fans and their families throughout the match AND as you can see by the clip above, picked out this absolutely ‘something in my eye’ moment where Dan Burn did the celebration that he had learnt last midweek (see the official Newcastle United announcement below and video of the young NUFC fans meeting Dan Burn and Kieran Trippier) in the build up to the match.

Newcastle v Tottenham seeing a one-off sponsor branded change strip worn. The Newcastle United players stepping out on Saturday at St James’ Park, wearing a strip with Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID) branding.

The young deaf Newcastle fans then all wearing these special shirts (see details below) at St James’ Park to enhance the match experience.

Not only was it a total shameful disgrace that Match of The Day chose not to show these young Newcastle fans nor even mention them or the initiative.

They should in my opinion have led the programme with this, or made it a special feature during Saturday night’s show, saying that this is an absolutely brilliant idea from Newcastle United and the club’s sponsors AND every other Premier League club should now look to do the same.

I have seen so much positive reaction to this initiative and in particular, this clip of the pure joy on the faces of these deaf children when Dan Burn did what he did. I am one of the biggest daft soft Geordies going and every time I look at this clip I am filling up. That feeling echoed by fans of countless other clubs who have reacted to seeing the clip including mackems and so on.

I hope next weekend’s Match of The Day will see this put right, it would be great if they could apologise for this shameful omission and maybe have somebody go along and interview the children and their families (can you imagine how proud and emotional they were?!!!) for a special feature.

I know how much this whole thing touched me, so I can’t even begin to imagine how much it meant to those who have deaf children and/or work to improve the chances in terms of enhancing the children’s lives in whichever way they can.

Newcastle United announcement – 11 April 2024:

Newcastle United’s players and supporters will be wearing football shirts with a difference when the Magpies host Tottenham Hotspur this Saturday – thanks to a world-first initiative by the club’s front-of-shirt partner, Sela.

As part of its ‘Unsilence the Crowd’ campaign, Sela has donated its prestigious player shirt and pitch-side branding to the Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID) during this weekend’s Premier League clash at St. James’ Park.

It marks the launch of special ‘haptic’ shirts that will make matchday more accessible for those with hearing loss. While players will sport RNID branding on their shirts on the pitch, deaf supporters will wear a unique shirt that transforms the noise of the stadium into a real-time touch sensation – bringing the famous St. James’ Park atmosphere to life like never before.

Sela, a leading live events and experiences company, has been the driving force behind the initiative, demonstrating its commitment to using innovation to provide unforgettable moments for Newcastle United fans.

To provide a lasting legacy, Sela has committed to providing this technology at all future Newcastle United home games and hopes this world first initiative will inspire football clubs across the Premier League, Europe and beyond to build on efforts to improve accessibility.

Ibrahim Mohtaseb, Senior Vice President of Sela, said: “Ensuring every fan is able to experience the amazing atmosphere is so important to us as a proud partner of Newcastle United.

“St. James’ Park is renowned for its noise and passion. Through this initiative, we hope to enable deaf fans and fans with hearing loss to feel a part of it.

“We would welcome the whole football family to join us by adopting the technology. By acting now, we can collectively make watching live football matches an incredible experience for everyone who loves the game.”

Peter Silverstone, Chief Commercial Officer at Newcastle United, said: “Newcastle United’s partnership with Sela continues to provide spectacular experiences for our fans.

“When Sela shared the idea and technology behind the haptic shirts, we supported the concept immediately. We knew it would have a profound and lasting impact on supporters who are deaf or have hearing loss.

“The atmosphere our supporters generate at St. James’ Park is famously powerful and being able to bring that experience to life in such an accessible way, is very special. We look forward to playing our part in this initiative and hope it inspires fans of other clubs, sports and entertainment properties.”

By adorning Newcastle United’s home shirts on Saturday, RNID will become the first hearing loss charity to feature on a Premier League shirt. The national charity currently supports 12 million people in the UK who are deaf, have hearing loss or tinnitus.

Teri Devine, Director for Inclusion at RNID, said: “One in five adults in the UK are deaf or have hearing loss, but people often face barriers in everyday life – including in live sports events.

“It’s fantastic to see Newcastle United and Sela leading the way in championing this technology, which has the potential to have a real and lasting impact on how people who are deaf, and have hearing loss, experience live sports.

“We’re excited to be part of this collaboration and we hope this exposure opens up conversations amongst football fans about hearing loss and encourages other football clubs to raise their game and make sure deaf fans are fully included.”