[Saba Sports News] According to Italian media, Italy’s national public broadcaster Rai has issued an apology after accidentally cutting away from Shakira’s performance during the World Cup opening ceremony. Though the Italian national team failed to qualify for the tournament, local fans still showed great enthusiasm for the grand event. During the live broadcast of the opening ceremony, Rai switched to its news channel, depriving viewers of Shakira’s rendition of the official World Cup song Dai Dai. The incident sparked widespread complaints from fans across social media platforms. The broadcaster explained: “This was caused by an error in final schedule management. Regarding the interruption of the opening ceremony live stream, we wish to clarify that all operations by Rai fully complied with the editorial and technical guidelines and requirements set by FIFA for the event. We sincerely regret this scheduling mistake and offer our apologies to all viewers.”
The editor believes that all other parts of the coverage were carried out in accordance with received instructions and editorial standards for public service broadcasting. Rai reaffirms its commitment to delivering more detailed and timely coverage of major international events.