John Bishop shared a surprising statement with his fans on Twitter on Thursday. The comedian reposted a message from ITV following Soccer Aid 2020 on Sunday, in which the broadcaster apologised for overstating their fundraising total.
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The charity match saw a World XI team beat England on penalties, and following the match, hosts Dermot O'Leary and Kirsty Gallacher announced that a total of £11.5million had been raised for UNICEF.
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However, ITV has now confirmed that an "administrative error" meant the fundraising total was overstated.
© Photo: RexJohn Bishop took part in the 2020 Soccer Aid match
The statement read: "Last Sunday's Soccer Aid event was watched by millions on ITV whose donations contributed to a record fundraising total which will help Unicef provide a better start in life for young people in need across the world.
"Regrettably, due to an administrative error within ITV, the total figure raised of £11.5m announced on air by ITV at the end of Sunday night's Soccer Aid for UNICEF was incorrect.
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"The total amount of money raised by the end of the show as £9.3m. This is still the largest sum raised in Soccer Aid for Unicef history – beating the £6.7m raised in 2019.
© Photo: RexThe World XI team beat England on penalties
"ITV would like to apologise fully for this error, which should not detract from the commitment made by all those involved, including Unicef, the players, coaching staff, production and all supporting partners, as well as the huge generosity of the public, who we would like to thank again for making the event such a success.
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"As previously planned, all donation platforms will remain open until Tuesday 6th October and ITV will continue to promote the event on air and online to deliver the highest possible final total."
© Photo: RexOlly Murs captained the England squad
Soccer Aid is a friendly football match between England and the World XI, with both teams comprised of celebrities and former pro players. This year, the match had to be played behind closed doors as a result of COVID-19.
This year's England squad was captained by Olly Murs, with John, Joe Wicks, Marvin Humes, Mark Wright, James Bay and Paddy McGuiness also on the squad. The World XI team was headed up by Mo Gilligan, who played alongside teammates including Kem Cetinay, Iain Stirling, Roman Kemp and Ore Oduba.
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