20 June 2024 , 11:17
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Frank Lampard was angry and in disbelief after Gary Lineker had a pop at his hair in an awkward moment during the BBC’s coverage of Euro 2024, according to a body language expert.
Lineker was trying to crack a light-hearted joke after Germany’s 2-0 win over Hungary on Wednesday when he inadvertently offended his colleague. The BBC presenter suggested that Lampard was going bald at the back of his head, sparking a complete change in facial expression from the former midfielder, which went viral on social media.
The two were discussing a screen behind the studio by the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, which prevents people from disrupting the broadcast. Lineker suggested it would be better if the screen wasn’t there, prompting Lampard to reply: “They’d see my head! They wouldn’t turn up for that!” Lineker then joked: “No you’re right, nobody wants to see the back of your head these days! That’s for sure.”
Lineker quickly changed the subject back to football, not noticing Lampard’s reaction. But Darren Stanton, who describes himself as a body language and behavioural expert, says that Lampard was clearly taken aback by the remark.
“That’s why we see in his facial expression that he’s trying to keep a straight face, trying not to show the fact he’s been affected,” the former policeman told BonusCodeBets. “But the main thing is his blink rate, you can see a micro expression of surprise and then his eyebrows come together. It all happens in like a fifth of a second. He wasn’t happy. It’s a combination of blink rate, facial expression of anger and surprise and disbelief.”
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Lineker didn’t notice the reaction at the time, but he has since tried to explain himself, claiming there was no malice in his comments. “Obviously Frank’s slightly thinning, I’m slightly thinning, and I actually meant it about everyone,” he said on the Rest is Football Podcast.
“But when it came out, it came out a bit wrong. And you know Frank does that thing where he smiles, and then he suddenly doesn’t smile?
Gary Lineker's attempt at humour went down badly (BBC)
Frank Lampard was shocked by the gag (BBC)“Frank’s great fun, he won’t mind. I must admit, when I got back to the hotel I saw it on social media and thought, ‘Oh you f*****g idiot.’ I felt really bad, I’ll have to apologise. I will apologise because it wasn’t deliberate but I get how funny it was. Those things happen on live TV.”
A clip of the joke has gone viral on Twitter, being viewed over 3 million times, with many finding Lampard’s reaction hilarious. However, some felt Lineker’s comments were out of order. “Absolutely savage. Poor Lampard,” one commenter joked. Another joked: “Gary Lineker never got booked in his playing career but that defo deserved at least a yellow”.