On Saturday afternoon, Reading’s League One match against Port Vale had to be called off.
Regarding Sky Sports’ coverage of the Reading fan protest on Saturday, Jeff Stelling made criticisms
Sky Sports’ broadcast of the Reading fan protest that resulted in the suspension of their League One match on Saturday has drawn criticism from Jeff Stelling. After 25 years, Stelling, a supporter of Hartlepool United, departed the broadcasting behemoth at the end of the previous campaign.
Former Soccer Saturday face Stelling was given a tearful send-off as he gave Simon Thomas the keys last year. But he wasn’t particularly impressed with Sky Sports’ coverage – or lack thereof – about Reading supporters’ act of desperation over the weekend.
During their League One match against Port Vale, supporters flocked to the field in protest at the club’s owners, who have been in charge of a number of devastating point deductions.
Reading utilized social media to beg supporters to return to the stands so that the game could go on, but when the roughly 1,000 people refused to stop protesting, the game was eventually called off after 16 minutes.
Reading boss Ruben Selles is fighting against the threat of relegation (Image: Getty)
During Soccer Saturday, Sky Sports reported on the protest as “lots of tennis balls being thrown onto the pitch”, with Reading fans desperate for coverage that would draw support towards their campaign against the club’s current owners.
Stelling wasn’t overly happy either, posting on X: “This [is] the biggest story of the day [in my opinion], when a club that was in the Premier League not too long ago is in this position. Why isn’t a reporter present? Everyone was aware that a protest was planned.”
