Alan Shearer issues apology for BBC mistake after being called out by FA Cup star

Alan Shearer has issued an apology after being called out for his man of the match choice during the BBC’s coverage of Fulham’s victory over Manchester United in the FA Cup

Alan Shearer has issued an apology to Fulham defender Calvin Bassey after their FA Cup win over Manchester United.

The Cottagers advanced to the quarter-finals on penalties at Old Trafford on Sunday. Marco Silva’s side had opened the scoring through Bassey’s first-half header before United captain Bruno Fernandes pulled the home side level.

Fulham goalkeeper Bernd Leno was the hero after the teams could not be separated in extra time, saving spot-kicks from Victor Lindelof and Joshua Zirkzee in the shootout. While Leno took the plaudits, Bassey also had an impressive game at centre-half as the team knocked out the FA Cup holders.

The win takes Fulham closer to the club’s first-ever major trophy, one win away from a semi-final at Wembley. However, Shearer apologised to Fulham goalscorer Bassey after the BBC co-commentator named United captain Fernandes his man of the match.

“I thought Calvin Bassey was very good,” Shearer said on the The Rest Is Football podcast. “The problem is with man of the match, you’ve got to say it five minutes before the end. I’m thinking, ‘What do I do?’ I’ve got to give it before the penalties.

“So, I just thought Bruno’s got Man United back into the game with the one piece of quality that they needed. It was him who dragged them [into it] and was playing all these probing passes.

“But if I could’ve waited until after the penalties, then it might have gone to Leno, and it perhaps should have gone to Calvin Bassey, who I thought was absolutely superb at centre-half.”

When Shearer pondered if players care about the man of the match awards, Micah Richards argued that defenders are often overlooked for accolades and felt the Fulham man deserved more recognition. “I send my apologies to Calvin Bassey, then,” Shearer replied. “He should’ve got man of the match. There you go.”

Bassey indeed shared Richards’ point of view. The Nigeria international reacted to a post on X from the official FA Cup account praising his performance. “No man of the match,” he replied, alongside a raised eyebrow emoji.

It was brought up later in the podcast, with Shearer repeating his apology to the 25-year-old. “I’ve already said, haven’t I, if it could’ve been given after penalties, it was either going to be [Bassey] or Bernd Leno because [Leno] pulled one great save off and obviously made the two penalty saves in the shootout,” Shearer explained.

“If it could’ve been after the penalties, then it would either have been him or Bernd Leno if we’d known they’d gone through. So, apologies, Calvin! I’ll give you it next time.”

Fulham will host Crystal Palace in their FA Cup quarter-final towards the end of the month. Meanwhile, Silva’s side sit ninth in the Premier League and are firmly in the hunt for European football.

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