England’s ITV curse is REAL: how the Three Lions play worse on ITV
The English ITV curse is part of the discussion around every international tournament these days, on a list of goalkeepers complaining about the new ball and newspapers ramping up calls for one of the benches to be allowed a start based on club form.
But it’s nonsense, isn’t it? England can never perform badly only because the game is shown on a network with advertisements. After all, the 3-0 win against Senegal in the round of 16 of this year’s World Cup proves that the Three Lions can perform like Mark Pougatch and co. are watching.
Well… actually it’s decisive. England is bad on ITV: and don’t get us started on Channel 4, which hosted a Nations League campaign this year in which England failed to win a single match.
England’s ITV curse: the numbers
In 1990, the World Cup was broadcast on both channels. Since 1998, matches in England have been split between the two, with 16 on the BBC and 17 on ITV.
England has a 75% win rate during the World Cup on the Beeb, compared to a pathetic 18% when not on that side. BBC’s record stands at 12 wins, a draw and three losses, while ITV has only seen three wins, six draws and eight losses.
| Year | Opponent | Points, result |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Tunisia | 2-0, WON |
| 1998 | Colombia | 2-0, WON |
| 2002 | Argentina | 1-0, WON |
| 2002 | Niger | 1-1, DRAWN |
| 2002 | Denmark | 3-0, WON |
| 2002 | Brazil | 2-1, LOST |
| 2006 | Paraguay | 1-0, WON |
| 2006 | Ecuador | 1-0, WON |
| 2010 | Slovenia | 1-0, WON |
| 2010 | Germany | 4-1, LOST |
| 2014 | Italy | 2-1, LOST |
| 2018 | Tunisia | 2-1, WON |
| 2018 | Panama | 6-1, WON |
| 2018 | Sweden | 2-0, WON |
| 2022 | Iran | 6-2, WON |
| 2022 | Wales | 3-0, WON |
The BBC has only two knockout defeats – to Brazil in 2002 and Germany in 2010. The only draw the channel has seen in the last 24 years was a hard-fought goalless match against Nigeria to qualify for the second round of the competition in Japan and South Korea.
Meanwhile, many of England’s more famous victories have appeared on Channel 1. It is therefore no surprise that Euro 2022 for women was broadcast on the BBC.
| Year | Opponent | Points, result |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Romania | 2-1, LOST |
| 1998 | Argentina | 2-2p, LOST |
| 2002 | Sweden | 1-1, DRAWN |
| 2006 | Sweden | 2-2, DRAWN |
| 2006 | Trinidad and Tobago | 2-0, WON |
| 2006 | Portugal | 0-0 p, LOST |
| 2010 | United States | 1-1, DRAWN |
| 2010 | Algeria | 0-0, DRAWN |
| 2014 | Uruguay | 2-1, LOST |
| 2014 | Costa Rica | 0-0, DRAWN |
| 2018 | Belgium | 1-0, LOST |
| 2018 | Colombia | 1-1 p, WON |
| 2018 | Croatia | 2-1, LOST |
| 2018 | Belgium | 2-0, LOST |
| 2022 | United States | 0-0, DRAWN |
| 2022 | Senegal | 3-0, WON |
| 2022 | France | 2-1, LOST |
It doesn’t make for good reading on ITV. They’ve had every World Cup penalty shootout – and England have only won one.
Two of the channel’s only three victories have come in the past two tournaments, the other against minnows Trinidad & Tobago. It’s certainly puzzling – maybe they could agree to trade broadcast rights if it’s a big game?
#Englands #ITV #curse #REAL #Lions #play #worse #ITV
