Jermaine Jenas made a comeback on TV for the first time since his sacking by the BBC, being spotted at the epic Arsenal versus Liverpool match on Sunday.
The ex-Newcastle United and England player, aged 41, saw his tenure with the BBC cut short this past August amid controversy surrounding inappropriate messages he sent to several female coworkers; he had maintained a low profile until recently.
He turned to Instagram last month to address his circumstances, where he expressed gratitude towards his supporters and teased that he might soon be back on-air.
Jenas, who has been known for his punditry work post-retirement, was seen at Emirates Stadium covering the colossal Premier League clash between Arsenal and Liverpool for an international broadcaster.
After retiring from his active playing days, Jenas carved out a niche as a pundit and became a well-recognised face on the BBC‘s Match of the Day, besides his stint on The One Show.
There was even buzz about him possibly succeeding Gary Lineker as host of Match of the Day before the BBC officially announced his exit. A statement in August from the broadcaster confirmed: “We can confirm that he is no longer part of our presenting line up.”
Additionally, TNT Sports has featured Jenas prominently in its Premier League coverage, although he has been off their roster since the incident at the BBC.
In a video clip posted on social media last month, Jenas teased fans with hints of “exciting” projects in the works following his recent absence.
In the candid update, Jenas expressed his enthusiasm to return to familiar territory, stating: “There’s some exciting stuff that I’ve been working on. So hopefully you’ll have that to look forward to very soon. And hopefully I’ll be back just talking about what I love really, which is football. I’ve been living the life of those Spurs fans who’ve been up and down and up and down.”
Jenas didn’t hide his excitement about getting back to the game, pointing out: “Forest got a great result up at Anfield and have been playing well. So I’ve been watching but I’m looking forward to kind of getting back and just talking about what I love most. So last of all, thank you very much and, yeah, I’ll see you soon.”