O'Leary and Scott denied chance to attend Champions League final due to Soccer Aid duties

Dermot O’Leary and Alex Scott were unable to attend Arsenal’s Champions League final defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in Budapest on Saturday after Soccer Aid organisers refused to release them from their hosting commitments for the charity match the following day.

O’Leary, speaking on Radio 5 Live earlier this month, confirmed he had been pushing for a workaround that would allow him to travel to Hungary while still fulfilling his role presenting Soccer Aid at West Ham’s London Stadium on Sunday. “We are in negotiations at the moment,” he said. “It’s not looking good. Ticket is ok. The problem is my contractual obligation to Soccer Aid. The Champions League final is the day before — it’s a huge problem for me.”

The presenter argued that his experience in live television meant rehearsals were not strictly necessary for him personally, suggesting it was “everyone else involved” who required the run-through. He also noted that co-host Scott, a former Arsenal player, shared his desire to be in Budapest. “I’m doing it with Alex Scott, one of the Arsenal greats,” he said, before acknowledging the negotiations were unlikely to go their way.

Scott, who was unable to make the trip to Hungary, instead watched Arsenal’s penalty shootout loss from the Emirates Stadium, where the club had set up giant screens for supporters. The Gunners drew 1-1 with PSG after extra time before losing on spot-kicks.

Despite his frustration at missing the final, O’Leary was careful to emphasise the importance of Soccer Aid itself. “It’s quite a responsibility to be there. I do take it quite seriously — it’s for charity,” he said.

The pair are no strangers to handling the unexpected on Soccer Aid’s live broadcast. At last year’s event, they were required to apologise on air after both Tyson Fury and Harry Redknapp used strong language during coverage. Redknapp drew gasps by declaring “We are f*g Spartans” when revealing his team, with Fury subsequently adding another expletive. Scott and O’Leary responded swiftly, drawing on their experience to manage the moment without the broadcast derailing further.

Soccer Aid, the annual charity fixture between an England XI and a Rest of the World side, kicks off at 6:30pm on Sunday at the London Stadium.