Lianne Sanderson defends UWCL debut show and calls out 'pile on' toxicity online

Lianne Sanderson has publicly defended Disney+’s new UEFA Women’s Champions League studio show after its opening night drew widespread criticism, calling out what she described as a damaging “pile on” culture within women’s football.

Disney+ launched ‘The Hangout’ as a live studio companion show for its second season of UWCL coverage, with the debut broadcast featuring Sanderson alongside presenter Alex Scott and content creators Alex Bailess and Tyra Mills. The opening night attracted immediate backlash online, with viewers taking issue with a rotating studio floor, the appearance of a dog on set, and technical difficulties — most notably an advertising break that cut into the second half of Arsenal’s 1-0 victory over HB Køge, causing viewers to miss several minutes of play.

Sanderson, a former England international who appeared as a pundit on the show, addressed the criticism directly on X. She conceded that the mid-match ad break was a mistake, writing: “Absolutely have an opinion, ads being in the middle of a game isn’t ok — was a genuine error.” But she drew a firm line at what she saw as disproportionate online hostility.

“The pile on from some is completely unacceptable, needs to be called out,” she wrote. “Some of you need to have a word with yourself. What solution are you providing? And what are you gaining from such toxicity?”

In a separate post, Sanderson broadened her criticism beyond the immediate controversy. “Some of you pretend you want other women to win at the same time dragging others down,” she wrote, signalling she intended to address the issue of toxicity in women’s football more fully on her talkSPORT2 show.

Alex Scott, who co-presented the show, also responded to the reaction on her Instagram story. “The self talk is real right now,” she wrote. “Keep showing up, remain professional and keep trying to fight the good fights — remember the why.”

By the second night of coverage on Wednesday, the format had already been adjusted, with the dog absent from the studio. Disney+, which produces the UWCL coverage in partnership with ESPN, is scheduled to run ‘The Hangout’ across all matchdays this season, with Scott and Shebahn Aherne sharing presenting duties throughout the campaign.