Bad commentators should be left on the bench

Douze points go to Joseph Micallef (Poor Football Commentary on TVM, July 9). My only disagreement with him is that such stupid commentaries are not reserved to that particular match but to almost all football matches on local TV stations.

It still seems evident that most of our local so-called commentators do not differentiate between a match commentary and a discussion about football.

Furthermore, they do not differentiate between commenting for radio and TV. Whereas in the former the listeners depend on a vivid commentary, on TV the viewers have a clear picture in front of them and all they need is a little colourful comment about what they are already seeing together with the atmosphere of the crowd. History and statistics of football and of individual players are absolutely out of place. All one wants to know is the ongoing progress of the match irrespective of the past and the future of players and teams. Nor is these commentators' opinion of what the coaches and players should do of any interest to the viewers.

While I congratulate the commentators for their knowledge about the subject, unfortunately they are not using it at the right place and at the right time, meaning that it is simply a waste of time and energy.

It was not only yours truly who had to watch silent World Cup matches during the last edition but many others too who could not stand such nonsense and who could only watch certain matches with a Maltese or Italian commentary; they are both the same. Having two commentators, one for the match and one for technical aspects, makes things even worse; they sometimes superimpose upon each other and speak together, confusing all those watching the game.

What a pleasure it is when we can have the luxury of listening to an English commentator; how pleasant, to the point, using the right words and tempo, simply enhancing what one is seeing on the screen and gracing the match itself rather than giving a headache to those listening to a non-stop commentary filled with unnecessary detail for a whole 90 minutes, if not more.

As if that were not enough, how about the non-stop use of ġewwa, intant, propju and other similar superfluous words, used completely out of context and ad nauseam, simply to fill the gaps and especially when lost for words?

Well, we are in the 21st century and it is high time, in these modern times of high technology, that something is done about this and many other things in broadcasting. We simply can't keep paying for amateurs to sit behind mikes and in front of cameras. While they might delight and entertain themselves, they bore us with their incompetence. It is simply an insult to our intelligence.