Swansea has expressed concerns regarding the television coverage of their recent clash with Wrexham, particularly criticizing how the Hollywood-owned team, featuring Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds, “received preferential treatment at every turn.”
Wrexham secured a 2-0 victory in the Championship match held on March 13, during which McElhenney and Reynolds provided alternative commentary with Sky presenter David Prutton.
Sky Sports promoted this alternative commentary, broadcast on one of its channels alongside the standard match coverage, as a “first-of-its-kind broadcast.”
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McElhenney, celebrating his five-year partnership as co-owner with Reynolds, described the commentary experience as “the most fulfilling professional moment of my life.”
However, Swansea was dissatisfied with their treatment in the match held in north Wales, with CEO Tom Gorringe stating that the “build-up and coverage of the match left much to be desired.”
In the program notes for Swansea’s upcoming home match against league leaders Coventry, Gorringe remarked: “Sky Sports will be onsite again, and we hope the coverage of this game will be more equitable than what we observed during our match at Wrexham last weekend.”
“While it’s clear that we aim to enhance the profile of the EFL product, the way we achieve this should be fair and impartial,” he continued. “In my opinion, the lead-up to and coverage of the match fell short in these areas.
“With the production managed by Rob and Ryan’s own company, all focus seemed to be on their team. The promotional material for the commentary failed to recognize our participation in the match at all.
“It felt to myself and some of our staff like we were an afterthought, with our hosts consistently receiving more attention. As a club, we strongly recommend that more careful consideration be given to handling such situations in the future.
“This is an issue I plan to address with the EFL next week.”
In response, Sky Sports told BBC Wales that contrary to Gorringe’s claims, it was responsible for the Wrexham-Swansea coverage and maintained that the match broadcasts were conducted fairly and equitably.
Former Swansea captain Ashley Williams served as a pundit, and Swansea manager Vitor Matos was interviewed both before and after the match, alongside his counterpart Phil Parkinson.