Two Sky Sports interns have reportedly been fired after they were spotted celebrating a goal live on air.
On Sunday, Italian giants Inter Milan traveled to the Stadio Marcantonio Bentegodi for an away match against a struggling Verona side that currently sit 19th in the Serie A table.
After heading into the match as heavy favourites, Inter took an early lead in the 16th minute through Piotr Zielinski, but failed to hold their lead into half-time after Verona’s Giovane secured an equaliser in the 40th minute.
But as they look to win what appears to be a tightly-contested Serie A title, the Nerazzurri dug in and secured a potentially crucial injury time winner thanks to an own goal from Verona defender Martin Frese.
Although the goal will no doubt have been an immense relief for Inter Milan fans, it wasn’t actually a good thing for two of them working for Sky Sports as their reactions has reportedly led to them losing their jobs.
(Image: Alessandro Sabattini/Getty Images)
As the game between Verona and Inter Milan took place, updates on the match were being provided live by a news presenter on Sky Sports 24 in Italy.
But it wasn’t the presenter that has landed himself in trouble, as while he was reporting on the late Inter Milan goal, two young men in the background were spotted jumping from their chairs and grabbing each other before quickly shuffling out of camera shot.
While the now-viral moment has become popular on social media, it didn’t go down well with Sky Sports Italy director, Federico Ferri, who has reportedly told them to pack their bags and leave the studio.
According to Italian journalist Francesco Ordine, who shared a video of the celebrations on X, Ferri was quick to punish the interns.
‘The Director of Sky Sport, Federico Ferri, intervened promptly by sending the two ultra interns home and signing a very tough internal circular on the extremely delicate matter,’ Ordine wrote.
According to Italian outlet Lettera43, Ferri then addressed the incident in a letter sent to all editorial staff.
It allegedly read: “‘Dear colleagues, today the editorial staff was the protagonist of a scene unworthy of our profession and of the prestige and seriousness that distinguish and should distinguish Sky Sport.
“I say ‘the editorial staff’, meaning all of us, because for the people outside, there aren’t individual perpetrators, but Sky Sport, period. And when one of us makes a fool of ourselves, we all make a fool of ourselves.
“‘Celebrating a goal by any team, whatever it is, in any match, and putting on bar-room or stadium-style antics (unfortunately, this also applies to the press boxes, but that’s another matter) is always unacceptable, especially if the scene ends up on air.'”
Later in the letter, the director calls for editorial staff to remember that they are journalists, not fans, and to behave appropriately.
