BBC stands by decision to remove classified results from 5 Live schedule

BBC chiefs remain committed to ditching classified football results from Radio 5 Live’s Saturday schedule despite a backlash against the move.

The decision has been condemned by the Football Supporters’ Association, while some fans have launched a petition urging the broadcaster to re-think.

However, responding to what it described as “some complaints” – the PA news agency understands the corporation received around 250 – the BBC has elaborated on its reasons for dispensing with a long-standing feature of its Sports Report show.

It’s always difficult when a programme with a special history changes, but there are good reasons for the change- BBC statement

A statement said: “We appreciate the strength of feeling towards the classified football results within Sports Report. It’s always difficult when a programme with a special history changes, but there are good reasons for the change.

“With the addition of the 5.30pm live Premier League match to our coverage, Sports Report has been condensed into a shorter programme – cut from 1 hour to 25 minutes. The classifieds were taking around 5-7 minutes to read, which would have taken up around a third of the programme – constraining the range of sport we could cover.

“We’d like to assure our listeners that results from across the football leagues will still be shared during the programme and through the afternoon. Results are also available in full on the BBC Sport website and during Final Score on BBC One. Having a live match at 5.30 is a great addition to the 5 Live schedule.”

James Alexander Gordon became a household name as he read out the day’s scorelines to listeners for 40 years before Charlotte Green took over when he stepped down in 2013.

The petition urging the BBC to