ESPN has defended its decision to apologise and hold talks with commentator Jon Champion after he labelled Liverpool striker Luis Suárez a "cheat" in the wake of the striker's controversial goal against Mansfield Town on Sunday.
The broadcaster made the unusual move of issuing a statement implying that Champion had erred in criticising Suárez after he controlled the ball with his hand during its live coverage of the FA Cup third-round tie from Field Mill.
After Suárez put the ball in the net for Liverpool's second goal, Champion declared: "That, I'm afraid, is the work of a cheat."
It is understood that ESPN, which is in the third year of a four-year deal to show 25 live FA Cup matches per season, had not been contacted by Suárez or Liverpool but decided to act after a string of inquiries from viewers, Liverpool bloggers and the media.
The club were aggrieved by Champion's comments but had no plans to take it any further. Following the match, Mansfield's chief executive, Carolyn Radford, said the tie had been "stolen" from the club but Liverpool's manager Brendan Rodgers defended his player.
The broadcaster has apologised for any offence caused and is believed to have discussed the subject "at length" in a post-match debrief.
"We take our responsibility to deliver the highest standards of coverage to our viewers. ESPN's editorial policy is for commentators to be unbiased and honest, to call things as they see them. Inevitably this can involve treading a fine line on occasion, especially in the heat of the moment," said an ESPN spokesman.
"Comments during the Mansfield v Liverpool match caused offence where none was intended and we have spoken to our commentator about this incident."
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