'I found out I'd been sacked live on Match of the Day – I couldn't believe it'

Chelsea legend Gus Poyet discovered he'd been sacked while covering a game for the BBC

A former Chelsea and Tottenham star asked to leave the BBC studio after learning he'd been sacked while working on TV.

Gus Poyet, then in charge of Brighton, was left dumbfounded by the news, just weeks after what turned out to be his final match in charge. The Blues FA Cup winner kicked off his managerial career with the Seagulls in 2009, guiding the south coast club to the Championship.

Under Poyet's stewardship, Brighton clinched a fourth-place finish in the second tier in the 2012/13 season, missing out on automatic promotion by just four points. After being defeated by arch-rivals Crystal Palace in the semi-finals of the play-offs, Poyet was ready for another attempt at promotion.

However, the Brighton board had different ideas, which they apparently hadn't communicated to the Uruguayan, who said he found out when presenter Mark Chapman broke the news to him while they were covering the Confederations Cup for the BBC. Brighton dispute Poyet's version of the events.

Recounting the bizarre 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 mood shifted when he saw Chapman fiddling with his earpiece early in the match. Poyet recalled: "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."

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.