MARTIN TYLER has apologised for his comments about the Hillsborough disaster.
Tyler was speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme on Friday morning and was speaking about the formation of the Premier League in 1992.
Hello @BBCr4today @BBCSounds — Tom Dunn (@tomdunn26) August 5, 2022
I take it you’ll be issuing an on air correction of this false claim by @SkySports commentator Martin Tyler that #Hillsborough was a “hooligan related issue” pic.twitter.com/fM6frRngjd
Tyler used hooliganism and Hillsborough in the same sentence, which enraged Liverpool fans online
"It was very pioneering. We didn't know quite how the [new] structure of the league would work, we certainly didn't know how satellite television as it was called in those days would work. But it was a great adventure. 3,000 live matches later...it does seem that it worked," said Tyler.
"You've got to remember that football was in a bit of a crisis at that time.
We weren't that long after Hillsborough, and other hooligan-related issues as well. It was very much a difficult time for the game generally.
The BBC did not challenge Tyler at the time and issued a statement shortly after stating the veteran broadcaster has since apologised for his comments.
"We regret that we did not robustly challenge Martin Tyler on a comment which appeared to link Hillsborough and hooliganism," said a BBC spokesperson.
"Martin has since apologised for the comment and clarified that these were separate examples, and he did not intend to conflate the two."
The Hillsborough disaster was a human crush that led to the unlawful deaths of 97 fans at the FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest in April 1989. Police failures, stadium design faults and a delayed response by the ambulance service was to blame for the tragedy - not hooliganism.
In April 2016 an inquest concluded fans played no part
Interview on @BBCr4today — BBC News Press Team (@BBCNewsPR) August 5, 2022
We regret that we did not robustly challenge Martin Tyler on a comment which appeared to link Hillsborough & hooliganism. Martin has since apologised for the comment & clarified that these were separate examples & he did not intend to conflate the two.
