Kelly Somers hosting Match of the Day would show BBC equality only goes one way

Kelly Somers
Kelly Somers is being touted as one of two regular MOTD presenters

According to the front page of today’s Sun, the BBC is planning to replace Gary Lineker with not one presenter, but two. From next season, it wants to make hosting Match of the Day a job-share between a man, 51-year-old Mark Chapman – and a woman, 33-year-old Kelly Somers.

If The Sun’s story is true, this surely means one of three things.

  1. BBC executives think that both of the above presenters are so staggeringly brilliant, it’s absolutely impossible to choose between them. So they’ve concluded that there’s simply no alternative but to appoint both.

  2. BBC executives have decided that presenting a single football highlights programme once a week for nine months a year is so mentally and physically gruelling, the job needs to be shared between two people.

  3. BBC executives know full well that Mark Chapman, as the existing host of Match of the Day 2, and presenter of the BBC’s Champions League highlights, is the most obvious candidate to replace Lineker. But at the same time, they’re screamingly desperate to appoint a female presenter as well, because it will make them feel so utterly wonderful about themselves. “How gloriously groundbreaking we are! What a historic milestone we’ve achieved for inclusivity, equality and indeed society as a whole! God, we really are such good, righteous, fabulously progressive people, aren’t we?”

Which of the three is it? We have no way of knowing. But at any rate, if they do appoint Kelly Somers, she’ll certainly do a great job, because she’s an excellent presenter. There is only one reason why I raise the issue.

In October, the BBC issued a press release promoting its coverage of the 2024-25 Women’s Super League. It included a list of the key figures involved. Presenters: Kelly Somers and Alex Scott. Pundits: Steph Houghton, Fara Williams, Ellen White and Anita Asante. Commentators: Robyn Cowen and Vicki Sparks. Co-commentators: Rachel Brown-Finnis and Gilly Flaherty. Pitchside reporter: Jo Currie.

All extremely talented broadcasters. I can’t help noticing, however, that they’re all women. In the name of equality, shouldn’t the BBC have ensured that half of them were men? After all, if women can present coverage of the men’s game, it seems only right that men should present coverage of the women’s game.

Let’s hope that BBC executives will act swiftly to rectify this appalling injustice. In fact, since Gary Lineker will soon be available, perhaps they could appoint him.