World Cup reporter Alex Scott in hot water over $1225 detail in photo
British football reporter Alex Scott has landed in hot water over a $1225 detail in one of her social media posts in Qatar. The respected commentator and former player sent fans into a frenzy at the start of the World Cup after wearing a 'OneLove' armband in defiance of a yellow card edict handed down by FIFA, if any of the players did likewise.
However, the former England and Arsenal women's star has earned the ire of national broadcaster, the BBC, after promoting a fashion brand in an Instagram post. The 38-year-old last week posted a photo of herself wearing an orange suit from luxury fashion brand, Reiss, who she does work for as an ambassador.
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The Reiss outfit consisted of a $A505 orange blazer, with a matching pair of $A305 pants. Underneath her jacket, Scott wore a silk shirt worth $415, pairing the look with a pair of silver sequin high heels. All up, the glamorous outfit came to roughly $1225, not to mention the cost of the shoes, which were from a different brand.
In the image, Scott is sitting down in the BBC studio where she was performing her presenting duties for the BBC. She originally tagged Reiss in the photo along with two different
The only problem is, the BBC has strict rules against employees advertising or promoting companies in such a way. As a result, officials from the national broadcaster got in touch with Scott and ordered that she remove the company tag from her original post.
A BBC spokesperson said: “We have spoken with Alex, who has removed the tag and will not be repeating this.” The 38-year-old has since edited the original post she shared and captioned it with: “Work Vibing World Cup stuff with @bbcfootball @bbcsport.”
Alex Scott defies FIFA by wearing OneLove armband
Scott made headlines before England's opening game of the World Cup against Iran when she appeared on air wearing a 'OneLove' armband to show her support for the LGBTQIA+ community. It came after FIFA threatened players with yellow cards if they took to the field wearing the armbands, in protest against Qatar's criminalisation of homosexuality.
The captain of England and six other countries had planned to wear the anti-discrimination armbands at the World Cup before backing down after FIFA's threat. The captains - including Harry Kane of England and Welsh star Gareth Bale - wanted to wear the armbands to promote inclusion, diversity, awareness and acceptance in a country noted for its intolerance.
However FIFA issued an extraordinary edict declaring players would receive yellow cards if they wore the armbands, forcing the seven countries to back down from their plans. In response, Scott decided to wear one of the banned armbands during the BBC's pre-game coverage of England's clash with Iran.
“I don’t think it’s fair on the players to do this on the morning of the game, they have done incredible work, they knew the rules, it could be one of the biggest games they play, all the players should be thinking about is how to win the game,” she said. “It would have made a strong statement. Imagine if Harry came out wearing the armband.”
Scott's actions immediately went viral on social media, with fans praising her for taking a stand. Germany's players also made a statement before their opening match against Japan after the team posed for photos with their hands covering their mouths - signalling that they had been silenced for wanting to speak out against discrimination, social injustice and human rights abuses in Qatar.
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