Non-league club managed by ex-Premier League star sacks COMMENTATOR for ‘crossing boundaries’ during broadcast

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A NON-LEAGUE football club has sensationally sacked their own commentator after a furious live rant aimed at the club’s board.Weymouth FC play in the seventh-tier Southern League Premier Division South and managed by ex Leicester star Steve Claridge.Weymouth FC manager Steve Claridge during his time at Leicester in the Premier LeagueShutterstockHe was also a pundit for BBC Sport football shows including Football Focus and The Football League Show, until 2014[/caption]The club confirmed they gave Ben Ashelford the boot after he accused the club’s top brass of mismanagement live on air.Ashelford snapped during a matchday broadcast, said: “You can’t hide from it, none of you. It’s your fault. I’m deadly serious.“He didn’t stop there, challenging board members to come on a podcast and claiming: “I suspect there is not a set of nuts between you.”The commentator also called out missing directors, questioning why only the fan rep was watching the match.Weymouth’s chairman Ralph Ricardo later provided clarity on Ashelford’s departure in an official club statement.The chairman admitted: “Ben’s passion carried him a little further than would normally be expected.”He added: “Within the context of official club commentary, those boundaries were crossed.”Ricardo said the decision to part ways was mutual and that Ashelford accepted he had let himself and the club down.BEST ONLINE CASINOS – TOP SITES IN THE UKAfter the backlash, Ashelford posted an apology on X, formerly Twitter, owning up to his mistake.He wrote: “I accept I was wrong. A rant like that has no place on the club’s official media channel.” He admitted the rant was triggered by wrongly thinking two board members had left the ground early.Weymouth were relegated from the National League in 2022 and haven’t stopped sliding with frustrations now spilling over into the commentary box.