BBC presenter Mark Chapman has been flown home from the World Cup and will not appear during the Spain vs Argentina final on Sunday night. Chapman, 52, who hosts the Sports Agents podcast with Gabby Logan, presented the semi-final between England and Argentina before departing the tournament co-hosted by the USA, Canada, and Mexico.
Chapman's Departure for The Open
On a recent episode of the podcast, Logan asked Chapman about his plans for the final. “Are you already kind of working out where you’re going to watch the World Cup final? Because you’re working on it, aren’t you?” she inquired. Chapman replied, “No, I’m not. No, I’m not.” He added, “No, I’ll be at the golf. I’m doing The Open golf that weekend, and then I will drive back from The Open golf listening to Kelly and the build-up on the radio and then I’ll catch some of you on the telly.”
Chapman has now flown home to cover The Open from Royal Birkdale, where day two takes place on Friday. The Open is broadcast on Sky Sports in the UK, but BBC Radio Five Live holds the radio rights.
Reaction to England's Semi-Final Defeat
After England's 2-1 defeat to Argentina on Wednesday night, Chapman interviewed former Manchester United striker and Birmingham City manager Wayne Rooney about Thomas Tuchel's tactics. Rooney said, “We sat back, allowed them to come on to us. They put us under pressure and we cracked. As soon as they got the first goal, it was inevitable they’d get the second. When you go on top, you have to stay on top. We go 1-0 up, then sit back, make changes, go five or six at the back. If you allow (Lionel) Messi and Argentina to come onto you, you’re asking for trouble.”
Rooney added, “These fans have spent a lot of money to be out here. I expected more in this game. Argentina are the world champions. We knew it was going to be the difference. The changes we made didn’t help us. Devastated. Sometimes you need a bit of luck to win these tournaments.”
