When the World Cup was on a few months ago, a number of mostly the retired international football players flew into the country to join different TV channels as match analysts. These big names included John Barnes, Jay Jay Okocha, Ryan Giggs and Samuel Kuffour. While some of them were really good at how they said what they needed to say, it was almost sad to hear Okocha and Kuffour speak.
The two hail from Nigeria and Ghana respectively, and the main language of communication in both nations is English, yet they struggle to string together a proper English sentence. It may be because, more than anything, these players are aware of the fact that they are on live TV and to make valid points this requires some level of confidence. More than that, the former players also need to have some sort TV background.
With Mark Haskins joining e.tv’s Sunrise team, we expect to see some impressive sports presenting.
“It has been good so far. I am looking forward to the challenges that come with the job,” said the ex-Moroka Swallows midfielder.
Unlike Kuffour and Okocha who probably haven’t done much TV presenting, Haskins was happy to announce that this new gig comes at a time when he has had some previous TV experience so he feels he is ready.
“I have worked with an analyst on another soccer TV show. I have also hosted one episode of Love PSL and I did an insert with Steven Pienaar once for the 2010 Word Cup,” he explained.
That said, the Sunrise set and format is a different ball game and Haskins is aware of what is expected of him on the show.
“I am the sports anchor for the Sunrise show so I will be the sports presenter, covering all things sport. In this case I will not only focus on football but all the other sports as well,” he said.
While football is his first love, Haskins believes he got the job mainly because of his vast knowledge and interest in other sport disciplines.
“Sport comes naturally to me. I have played just about every sport in school so I am not clueless about the sporting world. I pretty much follow everything that is sports-related and that helps and that is what attracted me to the job,” explained Haskins.
“I now need to pay more attention to all sports to be able to do this job effectively,” he added.
Haskins comes in to replace Walter Mokoena who has been a sports presenter for several years and that, in turn, means big shoes to fill.
“Obviously it is new ground for me and there will be some teething problems, but I love a challenge and am willing to work hard. I really enjoy it and I get to talk sport and I think that’s why I am a good fit for it. Live TV is not for the faint-hearted, but it is something I am up for,” he said.
• Catch Mark Haskins as the sports anchor with the Sunrise team at 6am every weekday on e.tv and on eKasi+ channel 105 on OpenView HD.