Alex Scott quits Disney+ after criticising Women's Champions League coverage decisions

Alex Scott has left her role as lead presenter of the Women’s Champions League on Disney+, the platform confirmed Thursday, weeks after its coverage drew sharp criticism from fans and pundits alike. Problems emerged early in the current season when an unscheduled advertising break interrupted coverage of Arsenal’s match against Koge during the second half. A new studio show called The Hangout drew further ridicule after it featured a golden labrador named Barley Boy on a rotating set, with many comparing the production to children’s television.

Scott had already signalled her dissatisfaction in an interview with The Observer earlier this month. “I have to turn up and do my job,” she said. “Ultimately, do I agree with all the decisions that were made? Absolutely not. Did I try and advise? Yes, but I can only do so much.”

A Disney+ spokesperson — whose Women’s Champions League coverage is produced by ESPN — thanked Scott for her contribution. “Her passion for the women’s game and the competition shone through throughout her time with us, and we are grateful for all she contributed. We wish her every success in the future.”

Scott’s exit from Disney+ follows the end of another long-standing role: Football Focus, the BBC magazine programme she hosted, was axed last season after 52 years on air. She has since launched her own women’s football show, One More Word WSL, on YouTube alongside former England internationals Fara Williams and Anita Asante.

The remainder of the Disney+ presenting team — including Shebahn Aherne, Sanne and Merel van Dongen, Nedum Onuoha, and Lianne Sanderson — is unaffected and is set to return later this month.