An American soccer commentator has been forced to apologise after threatening to choke a female co-host during a live broadcast.
Over the weekend the US men’s team (USMNT) played Mexico in the CONCACAF Nations League final in Denver. The Americans running out winners 3-2 in extra time.
Commentating on the game for CBS Sport was former USMNT player Oguchi Onyewu and Mexican women’s national team defender, Janelly Farias.
Post-game the two quarrelled about USMNT’s win before Onyewu said to Farias, “I will come across this desk and choke you”.
Onyewu later claimed it was made in jest, while Farias did laugh uncomfortably at the comment.
Here was the “I will come across the desk and choke you” comment pic.twitter.com/t884CAr51F
— Corey (@coreyzinho) June 7, 2021
Thankfully, Onyewu realised the error of his ways and later in the program admitted that the comment “should’ve never come out of my mouth”.
“Early in the show, you know, throughout our banter back and forth, I got carried away for sure,” he told Farias.
“And I said a stupid thing that should’ve never come out of my mouth. And I am deeply sorry for it and I apologise to you and I hope that you can forgive me and don’t take any offence to it. So, I just really want to sincerely apologise for what I said.”
Farias took the apology gracefully, adding: “I think the fact that you can say that on national television speaks volumes of you.”
Oguchi Onyewu apologizes on-air for pregame trash talk segment that included saying he’d “come across the table and choke” Janelly Farias pic.twitter.com/zbrKMms5aJ
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) June 7, 2021
However, comments to social media were a little less forgiving.
“Oguchi Onyewu has no awareness on or off the pitch,” one person wrote on Twitter.
Another added: “Joking live on national TV that you are gonna come across the table and choke your female colleague is probably not a good thing to do … and by probably not a good thing to do I mean … don’t fucking do it dude.”
