ITV apologise after getting Soccer Aid 2020 fundraising total wrong by over £2m

ITV have blamed an “administrative error” after overstating their Soccer Aid fundraising total by over £2million and apologised for their mistake.

The charity match saw a Rest of the World XI beat England XI on penalties after the game took place behind closed doors at Old Trafford.

A total of £11.5million raised for Unicef was announced on air by hosts Dermot O’Leary and Kirsty Gallacher.

But the broadcaster have now released a statement confirming the final total was actually £9.3million.

They apologised for their error but hailed what remains a record-breaking total for the annual event.

A statement posted on social media read: “Last Sunday’s Soccer Aid event was watched by millions on ITV whose donations contributed to a record fundraising total which will help Unicef provide a better start in life for young people in need across the world.

“Regrettably, due to an administrative error within ITV, the total figure raised of £11.5m announced on air by ITV at the end of Sunday night’s Soccer Aid for Unicef was incorrect.

“The total amount of money raised by the end of the show as £9.3m. This is still the largest sum raised in Soccer Aid for Unicef history – beating the £6.7m raised in 2019.

“ITV would like to apologise fully for this error, which should not detract from the commitment made by all those involved, including Unicef, the players, coaching staff, production and all supporting partners, as well as the huge generosity of the public, who we would like to thank again for making the event such a success.

“As previously planned, all donation platforms will remain open until Tuesday 6th October and ITV will continue to promote the event on air and online to deliver the highest possible final total.”

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