Rarely have I read such uninformed rubbish as that written by your TV columnist, Alice Cairns, about the BBC coverage of the World Cup on Pearl ('BBC Bias', South China Morning Post, June 17).
I agree that the commentators can often be irritating, but to suggest that they are partisan is laughable . . . of course they are partisan, and why shouldn't they be? I suggest your columnist listen to some of the South American commentaries to find out what real partisanship is about. In football it's called 'supporting your team'.
However irritating they may be, the commentators on the BBC do know what they are talking about, unlike your columnist.
They can distinguish between a tackle which is likely to cause a serious injury and one which will not. Furthermore, the reason why players from some countries 'play act' is to get their fellow professional into trouble so that they gain an advantage. Hardly a reason for sympathy.
Also the reason why they criticise the ability of Asian teams is because, surprisingly, they are not very good when compared with the rest of the world. I know your columnist may find that hard to stomach but it is the truth. No amount of post-colonial angst can change that fact.
To compare the ability of the Pearl team with that of the BBC is also ludicrous. I would trust Trevor Brooking's judgment since he has been there and knows what it is like.