Sam Matterface Draws 68 Ofcom Complaints Over Euro 2020 Remarks

sam matterface drew 68 Ofcom complaints after his England-Denmark semi-final commentary for ITV. The remarks came during England’s Euro 2020 run at Wembley Stadium and landed with enough force to reach the UK media watchdog.

He told viewers they could “do what you want tonight” if the result came off, then added: “The rest of you call your boss, you ain't coming in in the morning.” Matterface was 48 at the time, and his line about celebrating however they wanted became the trigger for the complaint total.

Wembley and the 2-1 win

England beat Denmark 2-1 in the semi-final and sealed a place in the final. Matterface also said: “Kids you can stay up, don't you dare go to bed,” before adding, “You deserve this, England deserves this. Feel it, ride it.”

The backlash was immediate. Viewers described the comments as “ridiculous” and “unprofessional,” with one complaint calling the post-match ramble “all-time cringe” and another describing it as “Such vacuous commentary.” One viewer added that the line about calling a boss the next morning was “far too much” and included “Far too many scripted comments.”

Viewer backlash on social media

Another complaint questioned whether the advice would “hold up in a disciplinary,” while one viewer wrote that “many people don't have jobs at the moment Sam, because there's a global pandemic.” Another said: “In 40 odd years of watching football, that was the worst commentary I have ever heard. Absolutely terrible. ITV should be ashamed.”

Matterface later tried to soften the tone by saying: “Just try to be safe and follow the rules, or I'm going to be in one hell of a lot of trouble.” England went on to lose the final to Italy in a penalty shootout at Wembley, and then lost in the quarter-finals of the 2022 World Cup, but the complaint count from that Denmark night stands as the clearest measure of how far the broadcast overreached its audience.