Andy Gray, the Sky Sports presenter at the centre of a sexism storm following derogatory comments about a female official, has been sacked by the broadcaster in response to "new evidence of unacceptable and offensive behaviour". Sky Sports' managing director Barney Francis, who yesterday disciplined both Gray and Richard Keys for their comments, said he had "no hesitation" in summarily terminating Gray's contract. "Andy Gray's contract has been terminated for unacceptable behaviour. After issuing a warning yesterday, we have no hesitation in taking this action after becoming aware of new information today," he said. Sky said in a statement that the new evidence related to "an off-air incident that took place in December 2010" and "came to light after Andy Gray had already been subjected to disciplinary action for his comments of 22 January 2011". Sky confirmed that the incident in question is a new YouTube clip that emerged today, that showed Gray making sexist comments to co-presenter Charlotte Jackson before going on air.
Gray, Sky's expert pundit for almost two decades in a long-standing partnership with Keys, was originally suspended yesterday after a Sunday newspaper published a transcript of the pair criticising female match official Sian Massey during Wolverhampton Wanderers' match with Liverpool on Saturday. The pair discussed Massey's appointment for the game at Molineux on Saturday, speaking when they believed their microphones were switched off. They agreed that female officials "don't know the offside rule", with Keys adding: "I can guarantee you there'll be a big one today. Kenny [Dalglish] will go potty." Massey was this afternoon stood down from her engagement to run the line tonight at a League Two match between Crewe Alexandra and Bradford City. Mike Riley, the general manager of Professional Game Match Officials said: "PGMO and Sian believe that with any football match the focus should not be on the officials but on the players and the game itself. That is only fair to those connected with the clubs and their supporters.
"Sian is an excellent professional who has unwittingly found herself in the middle of a story that has nothing to do with her competence as a match official. Sian only wants to be notable for her performance as an assistant referee and is keen for things to get back to normal so she can return to officiating as soon as possible. "Sian has the full backing of PGMO and we hope she continues her development, which has shown excellent progress so far. It is important for PGMO to have talented people from all backgrounds getting involved in refereeing. The more people are attracted to the game the better standards will be and the more everyone can talk about the football." Keys went to remark on the newspaper column by the West Ham United vice chair Karren Brady, saying: "The game's gone mad. See charming Karren Brady this morning complaining about sexism? Do me a favour, love." Brady said the comments made her "blood boil" while the England captain Rio Ferdinand labelled them "prehistoric".
Earlier today, a third Sky Sports presenter was taken off air. Andy Burton was shown discussing Massey with Gray ahead of Saturday's match in footage leaked to sister channel Sky News. Burton said "apparently, a female lino today, bit of a looker", with Gray responding: "A female linesman?" "He [a Sky Sports crew member] says she [Massey] is all right," Burton continued, "now I don't know if I should trust his judgment on that?" Gray then said: "No, I wouldn't. I definitely wouldn't ... I can see her from here," before swearing and adding: "What do women know about the offside rule?" Burton had been due to appear in his role as a touchline reporter on Sky's coverage of tomorrow night's Carling Cup semi-final second leg between Birmingham City and West Ham but will now be replaced. It is understood that Sky had originally planned to treat Gray's exchange with Burton as part of the same disciplinary charge but the emergence of the new evidence made his position untenable.
The former Everton and Aston Villa player, believed to be on a seven-figure salary and a key component in Sky Sports' growth story over 20 years, recently began legal action against the News of the World – another arm of Rupert Murdoch's empire – over phone hacking allegations. Betfair, the online betting exchange endorsed by Gray, earlier today condemned the former player's behaviour but said it would not be dropping him from its advertising for now. Gray has been a very visible presence in its latest advertising campaigns. "Betfair doesn't tolerate sexism, and we expect others who represent our brand to share similar values," said a spokesman. "We've expressed our disappointment to Andy Gray's representatives about the comments that have been reported in the media over the last 48 hours. At present we have no plans to change the way we work with Andy."Novak Djokovic’s problems came to an explosive head at the Shanghai Masters on Saturday and the Serb now faces being knocked off world number one if he can’t find a quick solution.
Djokovic arrived in Shanghai insisting mental equanimity, rather than titles, was his goal after a rough patch of form prompted a bout of soul-searching. The man who has dominated tennis for the past two years even resorted to humming a song in a bid to keep calm as he was taken to three sets by qualifier Mischa Zverev. But Djokovic’s avowed cool-headedness evaporated in a stormy semi-final upset against Roberto Bautista when he smashed his racquet, ripped his shirt and raged at the chair umpire. Worse for Djokovic, second-ranked Andy Murray cruised into the Shanghai final without dropping a set and is in position to put further heat on his number one spot. “It’s not yet over. There are a couple of big tournaments still along the way: Paris and London,” Djokovic warned. “I’ll try to get ready for the indoor season where I always, in the last couple of years, played pretty well. I’ll try to get better.” Recent months have not been kind to Djokovic, who has suddenly and mystifyingly lost his way after winning six of his 12 Grand Slam titles in a stunning two-year period.
He was on top of the world after completing a career Grand Slam at the French Open in June, becoming only the third man to hold all four major titles at once. But his 30-match winning streak at Grand Slams came to a shuddering halt when he was well beaten by 41st-ranked Sam Querrey in the third round at Wimbledon. Order was restored when Djokovic won in Toronto but he then crashed out of the Rio Olympics’ first round in tears and was bullied in the US Open final by Stan Wawrinka. Wrist and elbow injuries have played a role and Djokovic has also admitted to struggling with “private issues”. His collapse could reshape the pecking order once again with Murray now the foremost player of the crumbling ‘Big Four’, which also includes injury-hit Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. Murray, a contemporary of Djokovic and a sparring partner since they were teenagers, said he didn’t find it surprising that the Serb’s superb run had taken its toll. “It takes so much effort and work to be making finals almost every single week for two years.
It’s a really, really hard thing to do,” Murray said. “It’s maybe normal if he’s mentally a little bit tired or trying to find the next thing to achieve after what he did at the French Open, as well. “I’m sure he will get it back. But it’s just normal to have a period after what he’s done the last few years where he’s maybe not as dominant as he was.” Djokovic, who retreated from his Monte Carlo residence to his native Belgrade as the storm clouds gathered, will seek solace in family comforts before resuming action at the Paris Masters in two weeks’ time. “I’m going to celebrate my son’s second birthday. That’s an event I look forward to. I’m going to do a lot of things off the court, plenty of things off the court,” he said. He added: “I had to experience this sooner or later. I knew I could not go on playing at the highest level for so many years all the time. “It’s good to experience this so I can hopefully get better in the period to come.”