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BBC insists it was ‘consistently respectful’ to Cristiano Ronaldo amid ‘Misstiano Penaldo’ backlash
Corporation lists ways it spoke favourably about Portugal captain, who was in tears about penalty miss which BBC poked fun at
The BBC has been forced to insist it is “consistently respectful” to Cristiano Ronaldo after being hit with viewer complaints over its “Misstiano Penaldo” on-screen pun.
In a stock response to “some complaints” over the play-on-words caption after a Ronaldo penalty miss at Euro 2024, the corporation maintains there was “no offence intended”.
The pun appeared during the analysis segment last Monday after Ronaldo had been in floods of tears after missing a penalty in Portugal’s last-16 win over Slovenia.
John Terry had been among viewers to complain as the caption “Misstiano Penaldo” appeared in a highlights reel of his spot kick. The former Chelsea captain, who missed a crucial penalty in the shoot-out of the 2008 Champions League final, posted on Instagram: “BBC this is a disgrace!”
Other viewers complained directly to the BBC, prompting the executives to publish a response pointing out the “caption was simply intended as a play on words, which we have done many times before on Match of the Day analysis graphics”.
“There was no offence intended toward Cristiano Ronaldo,” the corporation said. “In fact, throughout the programme we spoke favourably about Ronaldo on a number of occasions, including: 1. In the pre-match build-up when Jose Fonte highlighted Ronaldo’s dedication to training, saying it’s why he’s one of the best-ever. 2. At half-time Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer did a long analysis run on Ronaldo’s movement, praising it as ‘absolutely fantastic’. 3. After the penalty shoot-out, Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer both referenced Ronaldo’s courage and self-belief to step forward and take a penalty.
“At no point were the pundits overly critical of Ronaldo and in the context of the programme overall, the tone was consistently respectful towards him. However, we appreciate 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.”
The same evening as the penalty miss, Gary Lineker share a doctored image of Ronaldo crying with the former England striker looking on in the background on X.
Portugal eventually beat Slovenia on penalties, with Ronaldo scoring the opening spot kick. The nation were knocked out of the tournament on Friday by France on penalties.
Ronaldo has since posted on social media: “We wanted more. We deserved more. For us. For each one of you. For Portugal. We are grateful for everything you have given us and for everything we have achieved so far.”