MATT LORENZO travelled to the United States for the 1994 World Cup as a rising star of British sports broadcasting.
Having already covered ‘s qualification campaign and the for ITV, Lorenzo was selected to front the broadcaster’s World Cup coverage from North America.
Matt Lorenzo presented ITV’s World Cup coverage in 1994 Credit: ITV Sport
Lorenzo, 68, has since pivoted to film-making Credit: PA
This meant going head to head with institution Des Lynam, a battle that even Lynam himself warned the 35-year-old Lorenzo that he could not win.
And so it came to pass, with Lorenzo being harshly panned back home during ITV’s coverage, which came from a dingy Dallas studio.
Lorenzo was brutally axed upon arriving home.
Reflecting on his World Cup experience during a chat with the Telegraph , Lorenzo said: “The TV critic Giles Smith said of my performance that ‘not since JFK had someone died so horribly in Dallas’. It was a funny line, I can’t deny that, even if it’s not so nice when it’s about you.
“Thank God the internet was not around then. It was a pile-on – I was like Piggy in Lord of the Flies for a while – but I genuinely had no idea about the reaction at home when out there. It was only afterwards it was clear it had not gone so well.”
On how he received news of his dismissal, Lorenzo revealed: “Well, I got called in and sacked by the same man who three months earlier had introduced me as the next Des Lynam.
“I knew something was wrong when they had a post-World Cup party to which I was not invited, but it was still a shock.”
ITV went on to have five different lead presenters across the next seven World Cups.
ITV have had five lead presenters across the last five World Cups Credit: Getty
Lorenzo was replaced by former goalkeeper Bob Wilson for the 1998 edition.
Lynam then switched to ITV, having been replaced at the Beeb by .
Steve Rider was ITV’s main man at Germany 2006, before Adrian Chiles got the 2010 and 2014 World Cups.
Mark Pougatch has since established himself and is about to enter his third World Cup as lead presenter with ITV.
Lorenzo, meanwhile, has largely pivoted to documentary film-making.
Now 68, Lorenzo has worked on documentaries about the likes of , and .
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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