Broadcasters should focus on what footy fans really want

In racing the most annoying thing the TV director can do is zoom in on the leading horse in the closing stages of a race. It is a despicable act that is completely against the wishes of the viewers.

If you’ve had a bet you just want to see how the finish pans out. There is plenty of time for close-ups when the replays are shown, although given how weirdly impassive horses look even when being urged to stretch every sinew to get to the line in front they are actually pointless even in retrospect.

And now there is an equivalent source of annoyance in football, which is equally criminal: showing something other than the game itself when the ball is in play.