Mark Byford the deputy director general of the BBC claimed a £4,878 return plane ticket to Johannesburg so he could enjoy the World Cup final as a guest of Fifa, according to a Guardian report.
Nice work if you can get it.
Lest this be seen as some unacceptable act of largesse, it is worth pointing out that Byford apparently was the member of the executive board in charge of the BBC's World Cup coverage.
So this was work.
He also dropped by the BBC's Nairobi bureaux while he was in the neighbourhood.
A statement from the BBC said:
"Mark Byford was invited to the World Cup Final by Fifa as part of his responsibilities includes BBC sport. During his stay he had meetings with various organisations including Fifa as well as visiting the news bureaux in South Africa and Nairobi. During his visit he stayed in accommodation that was already being used by BBC sport for the World Cup and not in a hotel."
Well I'm convinced. I hope he gets some time off in lieu.
Awesome! Can I get mine with "deficit" spelled correctly please?
Posted by: kingcnut | Jul 15, 2010 at 21:25
Thanks King Cnut. Schoolboy error. We've shot the person responsible.
Posted by: Will Sturgeon | Jul 15, 2010 at 21:46