Swansea expresses concern regarding Wrexham coverage: We felt like ‘an afterthought’
Swansea intends to express concerns regarding the television coverage of their all-Welsh match against Wrexham to the EFL, stating that the team owned by Hollywood figures Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds “received priority at every opportunity.”
Wrexham secured a 2-0 victory in the Championship match on March 13, during which McElhenney and Reynolds provided alternative commentary alongside Sky presenter David Prutton.
Sky Sports promoted the live commentary — which aired on one of its channels in addition to the standard match coverage on its primary platform — as “part of a first-of-its-kind broadcast.”
McElhenney, who recently marked his fifth anniversary as co-owner of Wrexham with Reynolds, later described the experience of commentating on the match as the “most rewarding professional experience of my entire life.”
However, Swansea expressed dissatisfaction with their treatment in north Wales, with chief executive Tom Gorringe stating that the “build-up and coverage of the game itself left much to be desired on those particular scores.”
In a program note prior to Swansea’s home match against league leaders Coventry on Saturday evening, Gorringe remarked: “We have the Sky Sports cameras present once more, although we hope the coverage of this fixture will be more equitable than what we experienced during our game at Wrexham last weekend.”
“While I believe no one would argue against our desire to enhance the profile of the EFL product, the methods we employ should be fair and impartial.”
“In my opinion, the build-up to and coverage of the game itself fell short in those areas.”
“With the production being managed by Rob and Ryan’s own production company, all guests and focus were directed towards their team, there were celebrations with David Prutton — the face of Sky’s EFL coverage — and the advertisement for the commentary of the game did not acknowledge our participation at all.”
“It felt to me and several members of our staff that we were very much an afterthought and that our hosts were prioritized at every opportunity, and as a club, we would strongly recommend that more critical consideration is given to how these situations are managed in the future.”
“This is a matter I will address with the EFL next week.”
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Sky Sports has informed BBC Wales that, contrary to Gorringe’s assertion, it was responsible for the production of the Wrexham-Swansea coverage.
The television network stated that its match coverage was fair and balanced.
Former Swansea captain Ashley Williams served as one of their pundits, while Swans manager Vitor Matos — like his counterpart Phil Parkinson — was interviewed both before and after the match.
