World Cup news – latest: Ghana seeking revenge on player ‘whole of Africa hates’; air conditioning in stadiums ‘making players ill’; are England cursed on ITV? – Sky News
After England defeated Wales to make it to the knockout stages of the World Cup last night, superstitious fans have been left fearing they could lose their next match to Senegal simply because the game will be aired on ITV.
Talk of the dreaded “ITV curse” is once again swirling on social media, with some pointing to England’s winning streak on the BBC and their misfortune on ITV.
The Three Lions thrashed Iran 6-2 in their opener and also beat Wales last night 3-0 in matches that were screened on the BBC.
In contrast, they had a dismal 0-0 draw with USA last Friday night during a match which was aired on ITV.
And last night even BBC host Gary Lineker appeared to take aim at rival ITV when he hinted to the so-called curse that was hanging over England.
“England finished top and will take on Senegal at 7pm on Sunday. And that’s on live on, well – uh – ITV. Oh well,” he said.
So what is England’s record when both broadcasters show their matches?
Since 1998, England have played 28 times on ITV in major tournaments and have managed six victories, 13 draws and nine defeats in that time. That’s a win rate of 21.5%.
However, the statistics from their BBC matches illustrates a more positive narrative, with records showing that of the 27 tournament games on the broadcaster, 19 resulted in a win, five in a draw and just three were lost. That’s a win rate of 70%.