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Opinion
Eyebrows were raised among Australian football fans when Stan Sport announced mid-week who the Australian commentators for the upcoming 2021-22 UEFA Champions League would be Max Rushden and Craig Foster.
Rushden will be familiar to most fans of football due to his work on the BBC, Sky Sports and Talksport as a football presenter – as well as hosting one of the best football podcasts in the world, The Guardian’s Football Weekly.
Viewers of Euro 2020 on Optus Sport who were unfamiliar with his knowledge and dulcet tones were left thoroughly impressed and made their feelings known on social media.
Rushden’s wife is Australian and a position working on Australian football coverage seemed likely; Stan Sport hiring him though is a real surprise.
Craig Foster’s appointment is equally as puzzling.
Foster needs no introduction to Australian football fans and seemed lost to the sport forever when he walked away to become a global advocate for human rights.
He was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia for significant service to multiculturalism, human rights and refugee support organisation.
(Photo by Don Arnold/WireImage)
The pairing of Foster and Rushden appears like a winning combination – however, paying $30 a month to watch the Champions League in 4K on Stan Sport will be a stretch too far for many fans.
Who does Paramount+ now turn to for commentary duties?
All signs point to Simon Hill as the lead commentator.
Hill and Australian football go hand in hand. His treatment towards the end of Foxtel’s involvement with the A-League left a sour taste in fans’, as well as Hill’s mouth.
He rebounded from this disappointment in the best way possible by launching his very own successful podcast and work on the radio with SEN.
Paramount+ has been inundated on social media and there have been various petitions running to keep Hill in the sport he loves.
Whether he’s the voice of the A-League or national teams, it seems highly likely Simon Hill will be on Paramount+ in some capacity.
One person who won’t be part of the team is Robbie Slater.
Slater revealed during a chat on Adelaide sports show this week that he would like to be part of the Paramount+ coverage – however, they are uninterested in hiring him.
There can be no denying what Slater achieved as a player club-wise, and for the national team, but his commentary work divided many fans of the A-League.
Slater seemed reluctant to criticise old friends like Graham Arnold and his bias towards Sydney FC became a real sore spot for fans not on the east coast of Australia during coverage.
It will be a refreshing change to see the majority of Fox Sports’ A-League commentary team not part of the new Paramount+ coverage – however, some will still make the jump to the new network.
Archie Thompson is a contestant on Channel Ten’s Celebrity MasterChef and appears as though he will be part of the new Paramount team in some capacity.
The ever-forthright Mark Rudan is another name that has forever been linked to the new roles – his controversial views and knowledge of the game could become a box office attraction.
Stan Sport have struck first in the battle of hiring football commentators – Paramount+ should have nothing to fear, though, as there are several quality ones still available to employ.
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