'I was sacked live on BBC – I asked permission to get out of the studio'

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A former Premier League boss asked to leave the studio after discovering he’d been sacked while on air. Gus Poyet, then boss of Brighton , said he was completely blindsided by the news just weeks after what turned out to be his final match at the helm.

The former Chelsea and Tottenham star began his managerial career with the Seagulls in 2009. His time with the south coast club saw them rise to the Championship.

Under Poyet’s guidance, Brighton secured a fourth-place finish in the second tier in 2012/13, missing out on automatic promotion by just four points. After being edged out by arch-rivals Crystal Palace in the semi-finals of the play-offs, Poyet was ready for another shot at going up.

However, the Brighton hierarchy had other plans, which they had seemingly not shared with the Uruguayan, who was left stunned when he was informed of the news by presenter Mark Chapman while covering the Confederations Cup for the BBC . Brighton dispute Poyet’s version of events.

Recalling the surreal moment to The Athletic , he said: “The commentary was starting at 7.30pm, so I switched my phone off at 7.20pm, when we did the last touches of our make-up.

“There was nothing to indicate that I was going to be sacked. So I switched off my phone without any fears. We did the pre-match analysis, then when the match started at 8pm. They said, ‘Now you can relax’”

However, the atmosphere changed when he noticed Chapman touching his earpiece early in the game. Poyet added: “He [Chapman] said, ‘You know you’ve just been sacked?’

“We weren’t live on air, it was two minutes after the game had kicked off at 8pm. I said, ‘No.’ He said, ‘Yes, it’s on the Brighton website.’ So then I asked [production] staff if I could get a copy. I then asked permission to leave the studio to call my lawyer and he informed me.”

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Poyet remembered how the half-time chat between himself, fellow pundit Efan Ekoku and Chapman barely covered the match, instead focusing on his dismissal. He added: “The BBC thought it was perfect!”

Poyet wasn’t out of management for long. Sunderland approached him in October 2013 following a disastrous start under Paolo Di Canio. Poyet guided the Black Cats from 20th to 14th place, even reaching the 2014 League Cup final, where they lost to Manchester City .

He couldn’t complete his second season at the Stadium of Light, though, losing his job after a 4-0 defeat at home to Aston Villa , which left Sunderland just above the relegation zone.

The 57-year-old has since managed in six different countries, including a stint with the Greek national team between 2022 and 2024. He is currently at the helm of K League side Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors.