A World Cup commentary box contretemps went viral Tuesday after some of Fox Sports’ star pundits clashed live on-air.
On-Air Disagreement
The soccer stars scrapped during France’s encounter with Senegal, which eventually saw “Les Bleus” — one of the favorites to lift the trophy — win 3-1 after a scoreless first half.
The back-and-forth started when Landon Donovan, a U.S. men’s team great, called France’s first-half performance “arrogant” and “casual.”
“France, arrogant, a little casual, just sort of going through the motions,” said Donovan, who was on co-commentary duties from MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, following the first-half hydration break.
The comment appeared to leave French legend Thierry Henry, one of the studio guests, dumbfounded when host Rebecca Lowe asked for his thoughts on the remark as the game remained scoreless.
After Henry said he would “skip that one,” the former Arsenal and Barcelona striker added: “I just don’t get it.”
Rebecca Lowe, Thierry Henry, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Alexi Lalas (left) and Landon Donovan (right) Getty Images
The simmering argument returned after the game when pundit Alexi Lalas, one of the more well-known U.S. players in the 1994 World Cup, hopped on Donovan’s train of thought.
“The reality is, if they are arrogant, it’s because they can do things like that,” Lalas said of France.
“The patience that they showed after a poor first half… to come back and provide a masterful second half. With the talent that they have and the big stars showing up, that’s pretty special,” Lalas said.
The framing, however, was too much for another studio guest, former Swedish forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who was sat between Henry and Lalas.
“It’s not arrogance, it’s confidence,” the outspoken ex-Barcelona man insisted. “Ignorant people will say it’s arrogance. Intelligent people will say it’s confidence.”
Ibrahimovic’s bodying of Donovan — and probably Lalas too — prompted a reaction for the ages from Henry as he mugged his disbelief at the comment for the camera.
Watch the encounter here on Fox Sports.
