SVT criticized for broadcasting fan parties instead of football
Part of composite article Swedish World Cup Fury: Heroes or National Shame? Fans Divided as Socks Spark Outrage and TV Waste Millions View full article →
A Swedish sports columnist has criticized public broadcaster SVT for its decision to broadcast live from fan gatherings during a World Cup match, calling the coverage a waste of resources.
Johan Croneman, a television sports columnist for the newspaper Dagens Nyheter, said he does not understand SVT's approach. During Sweden's final group-stage match, the broadcaster aired live footage of fan celebrations in five Swedish cities in the middle of the night.
Croneman questioned whether the public service broadcaster has better things to spend its money on than covering what he described as "football drinking."