When Alan Shearer Put Jermaine Jenas in His Place on TV in 2017

· GiveMeSport

After Chelsea beat Tottenham 4-2 in an FA Cup semi-final, Alan Shearer put Jermaine Jenas in his place live on TV.

Chelsea and Tottenham 's FA Cup semi-final clash in 2016-17 remains one of the greatest games at the new Wembley Stadium. The two London rivals went toe-to-toe at the home of football, and it was the Blues who emerged victorious by a 4-2 scoreline.

At the time, the London clubs were arguably the Premier League's two best teams, hence why the match was such a spectacle. Willian put Chelsea 1-0 up in just the fifth minute, before England captain Harry Kane levelled things in the capital. Antonio Conte's side went in at the break with a 2-1 advantage, though, and they would hold out for victory.

Special goals from the mercurial Eden Hazard and a long-range rocket from Nemanja Matic cancelled out Christian Eriksen's delightful assist for Dele Alli in the second period to secure the Blues a place in the FA Cup final. But nowadays, while the action on the pitch was memorable, the punditry entanglement between Alan Shearer and Jermaine Jenas was just as noteworthy.

Former England and Tottenham midfielder, Jermaine Jenas, was unexpectedly sacked by the BBC in August 2024 following complaints about workplace conduct. In the immediate backlash of the events, many people took to social media to comment on the unfolding news.

One byproduct of the uproar is the resurfacing of a debate that occurred between Shearer and the now-43-year-old in the post-match analysis of Chelsea's semi-final triumph.

While Jenas – who was named the PFA Young Player of the Year in 2002/03 – suggested that Tottenham were unlucky to have lost the match, indicating that Mauricio Pochettino's side's possession showed how dominant they were, the Premier League's all-time top goalscorer was quick to play down the claims.

Instead, Shearer reminded Jenas that the Blues couldn't have been on the back foot too much, as they managed to score four goals against a team with one of the best defensive records in Europe at the time.

The subsequent look on the former One Show presenter's face, along with the stuttering, went viral again. Chelsea legend Frank Lampard felt forced to intervene, but ended up adding the final nail in the coffin. Watch the video below:

From Gary Neville to Alex Scott to Mark Chapman, UK pundits are paid very handsomely for the roles of television and radio.

Since the BBC announced Jenas' contract had been terminated , other media outlets appeared to follow in the corporation's footsteps, including TNT Sports, who no longer use the former England midfielder as a pundit.

The BBC's decision came following allegations involving digital communications, such as texts, which were raised with the company and subsequently brought an end to his relationship with the company which began in 2017.

A spokesperson for talkSPORT initially said: "There are no plans for Jermaine to broadcast as a presenter on talkSPORT in the immediate future." However, it was announced in February 2025 that Jenas had returned to the radio station.

Asked if his actions were 'wildly inappropriate', an apologetic Jenas told talkSPORT's Shebahn Aherne: “Yeah, of course. That's what taking responsibility is about. It was inappropriate.”

He continued: “I made a mistake. It was a mistake that is something that me and my wife and my family have to deal with. I think that the big thing here is that your career is one thing. I worked 10 years post-retirement from being a footballer and I can take it as far back as I want from starting from nothing to becoming a footballer to getting myself in a very fortunate position to work on television.

> “It's a lot of hard work that you put into the job, but at the same time, it can be taken away from you like that. That's one thing that I've recognised. When it is taken away from you like that, the only people there for you is your family and friends and it's the people that are really close to you. That's what has been my biggest support system during this period of time.

> “Me and my wife have had some honest conversations. Me and my family have had some honest conversations and that's who this is really between. So moving forward, that's where my focus is, making sure that my kids are okay, my wife is supported and that I'm continually working on improving myself.”

Read the original

People in this story

Related