Shocking moment ex-Premier League manager was sacked on live TV with Match of the Day presenter breaking the news
CHELSEA legend Gus Poyet has opened up on the bizarre moment he realised he’d been sacked by Brighton – while broadcasting live on the BBC.
The Uruguayan appeared on an episode of Match of the Day way back in 2013.
Poyet joined the Seagulls in 2009 and led his side to the Championship playoffs during the 2012/13 season.
Brighton missed out on promotion to the Premier League after going down to arch-rivals Crystal Palace.
Poyet claims there was “nothing to indicate” he wouldn’t be returning for another crack at the top-flight next season.
He therefore took up a punditry job for the summer, joining BBC host Mark Chapman for a Confederations Cup match between Spain and Nigeria on June 23.
But Brighton bosses had already put out a statement revealing his job had been terminated – just as he hit the air.
Poyet was handed the statement after it was printed out by production staff.
Chapman read it to him on air at half time, with Poyet stuttering in response: “I’ve still had no communication, no text, no email, I didn’t receive anything by phone.”
More than 12 years later, the former Chelsea midfielder has now opened up on the episode.
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He told The Atlantic: “The commentary was starting at 7.30pm, so I switched my phone off at 7.20pm, when we did the last touches of our make-up.
“There was nothing to indicate that I was going to be sacked. So I switched off my phone without any fears.
“We did the pre-match analysis, then when the match started at 8pm, they said, ‘Now you can relax’
“[Chapman] then said, ‘You know you’ve just been sacked?’
“We weren’t live on air, it was two minutes after the game had started at 8pm.
“I said, ‘No’. He said, ‘Yes, it’s on the Brighton website’.
“So then I asked staff if I could get a copy. I then asked permission to get out of the studio to call my lawyer and he told me.
“The BBC thought it was perfect! We didn’t commentate one bit about the game at half-time, it was all about my sacking.
“I remember saying to the BBC, ‘Oh, you’re lucky! This will never happen again!’”
Poyet began his playing career in France before spells in both Uruguay and Spain.
He joined Chelsea in 1997, winning the FA Cup and Cup Winners Cup in his first season at Stamford Bridge.
Poyet later played for Tottenham and is currently manager at South Korean side Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors.