The BBC deleted a tweet about Wayne Rooney’s sacking as Birmingham City manager shortly after a request from Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker.
Birmingham City announced this morning that Rooney is no longer manager after a disastrous managerial term that lasted just 15 matches.
They won just two matches of the 15 under Rooney, who replaced John Eustace in October, with the 3-0 defeat to Leeds United on New Year’s Day proving to be the final nail in the coffin.
Following Birmingham City’s announcement, the BBC Sport X account posted a graphic that depicted Rooney as a member of the Peaky Blinders, a popular BBC show set in Birmingham. The post was captioned to make light of the situation: “By order of the Peaky Blinders… Wayne Rooney has been sacked by Birmingham City.”
By order of the Peaky Blinders, Wayne Rooney has been sacked by Birmingham city ❌️ pic.twitter.com/8t3PF6bxvB
— FUTURI$TIC $OUNDS🎵 (@futuresoundsss) January 2, 2024
The nature of the post seems harsh given Rooney lost his job at Birmingham City and it didn’t impress Lineker, who replied: “Delete this.”
Shortly afterwards, the post was removed from the BBC Sport X account, with Lineker subsequently deleting his own post.
In a statement after the news, Rooney said: “I would like to thank Tom Wagner, Tom Brady and Garry Cook for the opportunity to manage Birmingham City FC and the support they all gave me during my short period with the club.
“Football is a results business – and I recognise they have not been at the level I wanted them to be. However, time is the most precious commodity a manager requires and I do not believe 13 weeks was sufficient to oversee the changes that were needed.
“Personally, it will take me some time to get over this setback. I have been involved in professional football, as either a player or manager, since I was 16. Now, I plan to take some time with my family as I prepare for the next opportunity in my journey as a manager.
“Finally, I wish Birmingham City FC and its owners my best wishes in the pursuit of their ambitions.”
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