RIDICULOUS

Last updated : 26 January 2005 By editor

From The Guardian:

'The 60-year-old former Queens Park Rangers and Manchester City striker, a long-serving panellist for Sky, made what the station called "offensive and inexcusable" remarks on You're On Sky Sports on Monday night.

Marsh's comment involved a pun on the word tsunami in which he said David Beckham had turned down a £10m contract to sign for Newcastle because he could not possibly go there after what the Toon Army did to Thailand.

"I apologise unreservedly for any offence I caused by my thoughtless and inappropriate comment I made," Marsh said last night. "My intention was to make a light-hearted football joke."

Marsh also has a contract with the Daily Star newspaper to write a weekly column and last night it said it had no comment to make.

A Sky Sports spokesman said the decision to sack Marsh was taken by executives yesterday morning. "During the live phone-in Rodney made comments that were offensive and inexcusable," he said. "These remarks should never have been made and Sky would like to offer its apologies to those who were offended."

Either Sky were looking for an excuse to get rid of Marsh or the world really has gone mad.