Roger Pearce, ITV’s Technical Director, has passed away while covering the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, the network confirmed on Monday.
The technical director worked for ITV for 43 years before his death, covering Rugby World Cups, UEFA Europe Championships, and World Cups of Soccer.
‘We have some very sad news to bring you from here in Qatar,’ announced ITV sports presenter Mark Pougatch on Monday evening. ‘ITV’s Technical Director Roger Pearce, who was here embarking on his eighth World Cup.
‘Roger and his team are the brilliant people who bring the pictures into your homes and make it all happen. Roger was a hugely respected figure in the TV sports broadcasting industry.’
‘He always had a smile on his face and left a smile on your face, he was utterly dedicated, professional, charming and hugely popular, he’ll be missed by so many people inside the industry and at home.’
Prior to the Wales vs. USA World Cup game, ITV made the passing public.
Pearce was in the middle of covering his eighth World Cup when he passed away.
According to The Mirror, a buddy claimed that he is likely to have passed away in Qatar while on duty just five weeks before his retirement.
‘So sad to hear of the passing of my friend and former colleague at ITV Meridian, Roger Pearce. He died on his last assignment in Qatar before retirement in 5 weeks’ time. RIP Roger,’ on Twitter, Neil Stainsby stated.
Another admirer stated: ‘Very sad to hear of the passing of ITV’s Roger Pearce. All the tributes are so deserved. Such wonderful service he gave.’
Roger Pearce
Before transferring to ITV in 1979 and beginning as a broadcast engineer in Scotland, Roger began his career in 1973 as a technical apprentice and support engineer.
He began working for the national network in June 2001 as a sports technical producer before rising to the position of technical director in August 2007.
Before joining ITV network sport full-time in 2001 and rising to the position of technical director in 2008, Mr. Pearce began his career as an engineer at Grampian TV and later worked in other ITV areas like TVS and Meridian.
One acquaintance claimed to have spent 43 years working for ITV and that this was his last position before retiring in just five weeks.
The planning and production of major athletic events coverage, such as the World Cup, UEFA Euro Championships, and Rugby World Cup, fell under Roger’s purview over the course of their career.
Wales V USA Match
Aside the sad news from ITV about the demise of their technical director during the encounter, there was other events that happened.
Wales and the United States played in the second game. Both previous friendly matches between the teams ended in draws of 0-0, with the United States winning 2-0 in 2003 and 2020.
Gareth Bale, the captain of Wales, was one of the captains who had planned to don the diversity armband.
German broadcaster Claudia Neumann, who did not appear on TV, covered the game while sporting a Pride shirt and a rainbow armband.
As members of the official LGBTQ+ supports organisation for Wales, many of the attendees wore rainbow bucket hats.
When wearing a Pride jersey and trying to enter the stadium, American journalist Grant Wahl was reportedly stopped for 25 minutes and asked if he was genuinely British. He claimed that FIFA afterwards apologized to him and security let him in with the garment.
