- Rio Ferdinand was present before the game and during the half-time interval
- He was not on hand for the post-match show after leaving the TNT Sports studio
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Rio Ferdinand left the TNT Sports studio during Newcastle’s 1-1 draw with PSG in Paris on Tuesday night.
Ferdinand was on punditry duty alongside ex-Newcastle midfielder Jermaine Jenas prior to the match – and the pair were joined by Shay Given at one point – but Ferdinand was unable to stay for the whole game due to ‘unforeseen circumstances’, according to host Laura Woods.
However, Woods quickly moved to assure fans about the former Manchester United star’s situation.
Issuing a short statement after the game when talk had turned to United’s clash with Galatasaray tomorrow night, Woods said about Ferdinand: ‘Rio would be here to chat about Manchester United now but we had to let him go [due to] unforeseen circumstances.
‘He is OK. Don’t worry.’
Ally McCoist covered for Ferdinand in the post-match show, as the Scot hot-footed it down from commentary to join Woods and Jenas.
It was left to the trio to discuss a breathtaking finale in Ferdinand’s absence, as Newcastle narrowly missed out on a famous victory.
The Magpies had looked set to take all three points after Alexander Isak pounced on a Gianluigi Donnarumma error to fire the visitors in front in the first half.
Newcastle hung on until deep into second-half stoppage time thanks to some heroic defending and an inspired goalkeeping performance from Nick Pope before Tino Livramento was controversially penalised for a handball inside the penalty area.
It looked a harsh decision with the ball hitting his chest first before ricocheting onto his elbow, but after checking the pitchside monitor the referee pointed to the spot and Kylian Mbappe tucked home the penalty to earn his side a point.
Fans did not get to hear Ferdinand’s view of the incident, but Jenas and McCoist were both in agreement that a penalty should not have been given, with the latter labelling the refereeing decision ‘a disgrace’.
Olivia Martin is a dedicated sports journalist based in the UK. With a passion for various athletic disciplines, she covers everything from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis.
