Former USA international Alexi Lalas left World Cup viewers stunned after using a crude British slang term to describe Fox colleague James Corden during live coverage on just the second day of the tournament.
Lalas, who earned 96 caps for the United States and serves as one of Fox’s main analysts for the World Cup, made the comment during build-up coverage ahead of the opening match between Canada and Bosnia. Host Rebecca Lowe steered the panel — which also included football legends Thierry Henry and Zlatan Ibrahimovic — towards a promotional segment for Corden’s new late-night World Cup show, “After Hours.” “Can we talk about James Corden for a second?” Lowe asked the group.
Lalas was the first to respond. “Oh! What do you guys call them?” he began, before adding: “Full kit w****r right?” The remark visibly stunned his colleagues, with Henry staring directly down the camera in apparent shock. Lowe, attempting to move the segment along, replied: “Okay… lucky we’re on American television, because the W word on British TV…”
Lowe, who also presents NBC’s Premier League coverage in the US, was referring to the fact that broadcast standards around language tend to be looser on American television than in Britain. The term Lalas used is a derogatory British slang phrase referring to someone who wears a full football kit despite not actually playing in a match — though the wider word carries far stronger connotations on British screens, where its use would almost certainly have triggered a significant on-air controversy.
The clip quickly went viral across social media worldwide. It is not the first time Lalas has generated controversy during a major tournament. At the last World Cup in Qatar, he drew criticism after wearing a thobe — the traditional loose-fitting robe worn by men across the Arab world — during a live broadcast segment. He has also been a frequent and outspoken critic of the US men’s national team, both during major tournaments and beyond.
