ITV sports presenter Mark Pougatch has openly disputed the BBC regarding the circumstances of his departure from the corporation six years ago.
Pougatch, now 58, is currently leading ITV's coverage of the ongoing summer World Cup tournament from a studio in New York.
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The controversy resurfaced as he broadcasts from North America, contrasting the corporate narrative released during a wave of high-profile departures from BBC Radio 5 Live in 2020.
The BBC stated in 2020: "Mark is a brilliant broadcaster who has been an integral part of 5 Live Sport for years.
Recently he has been presenting fewer programmes because his other commitments have grown and he has now decided to move on.
We wish him well."
However, Pougatch immediately rejected the assertion that the choice to leave was entirely his own.
He countered that senior management made the executive decision to remove him from the lineup.
"The BBC have decided they want to go in a different direction and that's their prerogative. They decided it, not me.
I don't know why they put that statement out saying I have decided to move on," Pougatch told The Times.
He added: "But I am not going to fall out with Radio 5 Live. I have many happy memories and have had a phenomenal time."
Following his initial remarks, the presenter took to social media to further clarify his stance.
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