BBC under fire for having Ashley Williams on MOTD amid alleged assault

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The BBC have come under fire for inviting Ashley Williams to appear on Match of the Day as a pundit just weeks after he allegedly committed an assault. The former Wales international joined presenter Gary Lineker and fellow pundit Jermaine Jenas in the studio for the show on Saturday evening, causing outrage amongst viewers at home.

The alleged incident took place at an Under-12s match between Corinthians and Williams’s TSC United in the East Manchester Junior Football League on September 18.

Williams, 38, is reported to have entered the field to confront a coach on the opposition team and became involved in an altercation after the coach had tried to intervene following an incident with Williams’ son and another player.

Williams then allegedly assaulted the man in front of his own wife and son and refused to let him go. The matter was investigated by the Manchester Football Association after complaints were filed against Williams.

Williams was charged by The FA for ‘improper conduct and violent, threatening behaviour’. A spokesman for Manchester County FA said: “Following an investigation, Mr Williams has been charged by Manchester FA with an alleged breach of FA Rule E3 – Improper Conduct (including violent conduct and threatening and/or abusive language/behaviour), and has responded to the charge requesting a personal hearing.” 

Despite this, he was allowed to feature as a pundit for the BBC analysing the four Premier League fixtures on Saturday.

Williams made 731 club appearances for Hednesford Town, Stockport County, Swansea City, Everton, Stoke and Bristol City before hanging up his boots last year. He also won 86 caps for Wales and captained his country on several occasions, scoring two goals at international level.

The former defender, who retired as a professional in 2021 after leaving Bristol City, has featured several times on the programme before. But his appearance on the show after footage of the alleged incident surfaced on social media recently sparked controversy, with fans demanding that he should not have been allowed to take part.

One user, @JSS_1311, wrote: “Typical BBC to stick Ashley Williams on MOTD after the news earlier this week. Setting a great example”, while another, @mickied75, said: “How is Ashley Williams still a pundit?”

A spokesperson for Williams insisted he would contest the charge with his own version of events: “Ashley had been assaulted and was defending himself,” they said in a statement.

“We have 45 witnesses – including people associated with the two teams who were about to use the pitch – who will back up our version of events and we will defend Ashley vigorously.”

A BBC spokesperson said last week: “This is a personal matter for Ashley and the sport’s governing body.”

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