Fox Sports have released an update on the future of World Cup analyst Alexi Lalas – and fans may not be too happy.
Former USMNT star Lalas has ruffled feathers throughout the initial stages of the World Cup, which is being co-hosted by his home country along with Mexico and Canada this summer.
His colleagues Zlatan Ibrahimovic and France World Cup winner Thierry Henry have both appeared to grow impatient with the former defender on various occasions, leading to sly on-air jabs.
However, Fox does not appear to be concerned by the apparent tension or the criticism of viewers at home.
Instead, the network has hailed Lalas as a ‘cornerstone’ of its coverage, vowing that it will stay that way for years to come.
‘Lex has been the cornerstone of our soccer coverage for as long as I can remember,’ Fox Sports CEO Eric Shanks told Puck’s John Ourand ahead of the USA’s win over Bosnia and Herzegovina on Wednesday.
Fox Sports have released an update on the future of World Cup analyst Alexi Lalas
Former USMNT star Lalas has ruffled feathers throughout the initial stages of the World Cup
‘He’s the straw that stirs the drink, and he’ll be the cornerstone for many years to come.’
Asked about the criticism facing the former footballing trio’s chemistry, Shanks claimed: ‘They’re having a ton of fun, whether it’s in the avocado room, which is our green room, or on air. We enjoy it, and it seems like the country is enjoying it.’
The 56-year-old rose to prominence in soccer in the United States as a defender for the national team during the 1994 World Cup and has covered multiple international tournaments for Fox.
He joined the network in 2015 after having previously worked at ESPN where he spent six years as a commentator.
Fox’s defiant endorsement comes in the wake of widespread criticism of Lalas, whose brash on-air analysis was branded ‘trollish, hyperventilating garbage’ by The Guardian.
He found himself in hot water on just the second day of the World Cup when he shockingly called James Corden a ‘w****r’ on live television.
Lalas continued to appear to be somewhat of a divisive figure on the Fox panel with many fans convinced his colleagues, Henry and Ibrahimovic, dislike him.
After a number of awkward moments between the trio in the early days of the World Cup, Lalas traveled to Seattle for the USMNT’s second group game.
Lalas (top, third left) is an icon of the US men’s national team and played 96 times for his nation
Lalas is pictured on set ahead of the USA’s game against Bosnia and Herzegovina
Lalas was joined by anchor Rob Stone and fellow US soccer legends Clint Dempsey and Carli Lloyd outside Lumen Field, while thousands of fans gathered around the set before kickoff.
That left Henry and Ibrahimovic in the regular Fox studio in Los Angeles with anchor Lowe.
And when Lowe announced that Lalas ‘has left us,’ Zlatan quickly replied: ‘America, you’re welcome.’
That moment set social media ablaze and fans watching on from home claimed the pair looked overjoyed to be without Lalas.
Furthermore, Ibrahimovic branded Lalas ‘the past’ live on air and abruptly dismissed him for saying France were ‘arrogant’ in the first half against Senegal.
Footage also went viral from the Fox studio where the three analysts were playing soccer and Henry mercilessly tricked Lalas with a faked back heel while the cameras were rolling.
Fox World Cup host Rebecca Lowe, however, has insisted that the trio all get along fine when the cameras are off and claims that the suggestions of unrest behind the scenes is actually a source of amusement to all in the Fox setup.
Speaking to talkSPORT, Lowe said: ‘These stories do make me laugh and we do laugh about them. We’re like, “another one”? And it is getting a little out of hand.
The analyst stopped the Fox broadcast in its track with a shocking slur at James Corden
Lead host Rebecca Lowe and analyst Thierry Henry couldn’t believe what Lalas had said
‘We are going through every newspaper now. Like, okay guys, maybe let’s pivot and write about something else, that would be good. The football, maybe?’
Lalas has attempted at times to get his own back, telling Ibrahimovic last weekend that his cream suit made him look like one of presenters on the 70s television show ‘Fantasy Island’.
But Lowe says that amid the jokes the trio trade off at each other, there is an underlying respect between them all.
‘There is nothing, there is no tension, nothing! We are laughing our heads off at all of this,’ she added.
‘Everybody respects everybody hugely. If people want to watch and listen to what the guys say to each other and work off each other, they would see that.
‘It’s a strange old narrative when you’re in the middle of the thunderstorm, and I am right in the middle of it with them all day every day, and it just doesn’t exist. It is crazy.’
