BBC fills football coverage during coronavirus outbreak

Football in England may be suspended until at least 30 April because of the coronavirus outbreak, but the BBC will fill the void by showing a variety of special programmes on BBC One and BBC iPlayer this weekend.

The corporation will continue to provide programmes featuring interviews, debate and repeats of FA Cup classics, on what would have been FA Cup quarter-finals weekend.

This includes a special edition of Match of the Day, in the form of a televised version of the new MOTD podcast, in its traditional Saturday night slot on BBC One.

In the new show, Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer and Ian Wright debate the greatest captains of the Premier League era.

Earlier in the day at lunchtime, Dan Walker introduces some of the best interviews and features from the season so far on Football Focus.

Then in the afternoon, Guy Mowbray unearths some memorable games, including Arsenal v Watford from 1987 and the 1978 match between West Bromwich Albion and Nottingham Forest, in the first part of his FA Cup Rewind quarter-final classics.

The second part, which features Everton v Ipswich in 1985, Derby v Sheffield Wednesday in 1993 and Manchester United v Portsmouth in 2008, is on BBC One on Sunday afternoon.

Commenting on the programming line-up, the BBC said:

“Now the domestic season and FA Cup competition are suspended until late April, the BBC understands that viewers, especially those that are self-isolating, will be eager for a football fix this weekend. With that in mind, this weekend across BBC One and BBC iPlayer, audiences can enjoy a variety of football content.

“After the successful drop of the new Match Of The Day: Top 10 podcast on BBC Sounds this Wednesday, the show makes its television debut ensuring Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer and Ian Wright are still there to entertain you on a Saturday night.”

The BBC is also making a range of its most recent sports documentaries available to stream online via BBC iPlayer, including Football Going Vegan, Shame In The Game: Racism In football, Scotland’s Game, Shane Williams: Rugby, Concussion And Me, Hunt v Lauda: F1’s Greatest Racing Rivals, Doddie Weir: One More Try and John McEnroe: Still Rokin’ At 60.

Further details and broadcast times for the BBC’s football programming over the weekend of 21-22 March can be found below.

For a full overview of all major UK-televised sporting events that have been postponed, cancelled or rescheduled, as well as those which are still due to be staged, visit SOTB’s dedicated coronavirus webpage – sotb.in/coronavius.

For the very latest developments and up-to-date information on the coronavirus outbreak and its impact on sport, follow rolling live blogs on BBC Sport or Sky Sports.

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SATURDAY 21st MARCH

Dan Walker introduces some of the best interviews and features from the season so far, including Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Juan Mata, Kyle Walker and Raheem Sterling. Also, the MOTDx crew select their Premier League team of the decade.

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Guy Mowbray unearths memorable games from the FA Cup’s quarter-final, including Watford v Arsenal in 1987 and West Bromwich Albion v Nottingham Forest in 1978.

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Match Of The Day’s Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer and Ian Wright bring their insight, wit and wisdom in the first visualised episode of their new podcast series. In episode one they debate the greatest captains of the Premier League era.

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SUNDAY 22nd MARCH

Guy Mowbray unearths more memorable games from the FA Cup’s quarter-final, including Everton v Ipswich in 1985, Derby v Sheffield Wednesday in 1993 and Man Utd v Portsmouth in 2008.

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