Sky Sports pull controversial Tevez billboard outside Sheffield United's ground

Can you hear that? That's the sound of thousands of people in Yorkshire picking up their phones to order BT Sport.

In what could well be the meanest advert placement ever (or the best), yesterday, an enormous Sky Sports billboard appearing to show Carlos Tevez scoring the infamous goal which relegated Sheffield United from the Premier League, went up outside the now League One side’s Bramall Lane stadium. Needless to say it didn't last long.

Eight years ago, the Argentine striker - then playing for West Ham - scored the goal which would knock Neil Warnock’s plucky Yorkshire team out of the Premier League, a moment which became even more infamous after it was later found Tevez shouldn’t have even been playing in the first place as West Ham had broken rules to sign the striker.

While the Hammers were fined £5m for the saga, they were not punished on points, meaning Sheffield United’s top-flight stay was doomed. 

Suffice to say, for Blades fans, the Argentine isn’t the most liked player in town, making it even more mischievous that this enormous billboard has the player pictured in a West Ham kit, plonked directly opposite the club’s ground - they might as well have put it right outside Neil Warnock’s house.

Less than 24hrs since the hoo-hah broke out, United fans (and Manchester United fans in fact) will be pleased to know old Tevez has been replaced by a montage of David Beckham. Not that it's the first time old Carlos has been used for billboard club mockery of course, having seen Manchester City splash his features all over a massive Welcome To Manchester sign following his defection from red to sky blue. 

And who knows, perhaps Sky Sports meant to provoke this frenzy in a bid for publicity all along, in which case well done: you’re now the sports broadcasting equivalent of Katie Hopkins.

(Via: The Yorkshire Post)