The ABC has taken a not-so-subtle swipe at former prime minister John Howard in a Twitter post, sparking a flood of angry comments.
The Liberal Party legend was watching day three of The Ashes at Lord’s Cricket Ground in London on Friday night alongside his wife Janette and one row back from former Socceroos boss-turned-incoming Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou.
‘One of the country’s most inspiring and successful leaders, and a former politician watching the cricket at Lord’s,’ the ABC Sport Twitter account posted.
Former PM John Howard and incoming Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou were seated near each other on day three of the Ashes Test at Lord’s Cricket Ground in London
The ABC sent viewers into a spin with a conspicuously placed comma when describing the two well-known Aussies
The anonymous ABC employee’s very deliberate use of the Oxford comma, indicating they were referring to Postecoglou as the ‘inspiring and successful leader’, sent Twitter into a frenzy.
‘Seriously, the ABC are supposed to be impartial as per its charter,’ one person wrote.
‘No way the ABC tweets this if it was an Australian Labor Party politician like Rudd, Gillard or Keating,’ another said.
‘Where’s the respect… Supply me the links to the complaints department,’ a third demanded.
But some other commenters, perhaps Labor voters, could see the amusing side.
‘This is hilarious, and I send both my congratulations and condolences to the staffer who might not have a job Monday,’ one person joked.
‘Well played, ABC,’ added another.
‘That Oxford comma is doing a lot of heavy lifting in this gag,’ a third said.
John Howard has a well-known love of cricket but it seems Postecoglou is also a huge fan of the sport.
‘I’m a big fan, I loved it growing up,’ the 57-year-old told cricket.com.au.
‘I have many great memories from playing in the front and backyard, I love the game.
‘I grew up in the era of [Dennis] Lillee, [Jeff] Thomson, [Rod] Marsh and [Allan] Border…and I also remember staying up late watching the Ashes when it was played in England.’
Postecoglou won two Scottish Premierships as manager of Celtic before scoring a four-year contract to manage Tottenham Hotspur
Rain spared Ben Stokes’ England side of any further punishment when it arrived on Friday with Australia on 130 for two, a lead of 221 runs.
Under-pressure England desperately need to land some blows on the fourth morning of the second Ashes Test to regain some ground.
It’s likely Howard will be back in the stands watching.
The self-confessed ‘cricket tragic’ spent 11 years in the nation’s top job from 1996 to 2007.
During that period he ‘organised’ the annual Prime Minister’s XI match against touring teams and regularly popped up in the Australian side’s dressing room after a win.
In 2004, he famously called bowler Muttiah Muralitharan a ‘chucker’ after his action was analysed by a Perth biomechanics lab, sparking the Sri Lankan to boycott a subsequent Test.
Postecoglou, on the other hand, starts work at Tottenham on Saturday.
He has pulled off Australian sport’s biggest ever coaching move by signing as the Premier League giant’s manager for the next four years, starting July 1.
The good news for Spurs, who have famously and consistently fumbled their bids for silverware this century, is just about wherever attack-minded Postecoglou goes success follows.
Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou lifts the Viaplay Cup with teammates trophy following victory in February
That started in his early 30s when he led South Melbourne to two National Soccer League championships as manager.
After a stint in the football wilderness after working seven years with youth national teams, Postecoglou took over at Brisbane Roar and turned a battling club into the revolutionary ‘Roarcelona’.
That included back-to-back grand final victories in 2011 and 2012 and a record 36-game unbeaten run, before agreeing to join Melbourne Victory in April 2012.
He left Victory to lead the Socceroos at the 2014 World Cup, before claiming the Asian Cup – Australia’s first in the men’s game – on home soil the following January.
Postecoglou steered Australia to 2018 World Cup qualification before dramatically quitting before the tournament.
He then guided Yokohama F. Marinos to their first J1 League title in 15 years in 2019.
After joining Celtic in 2021 he won five of a possible six domestic trophies on offer, including claiming the treble this season.
He has also been the torchbearer for Australian football coaches, showing a less-heralded passport or set of coaching badges shouldn’t be a barrier to succeeding on the world stage.
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