Gary Lineker hails ‘force of nature’ BBC floor manager Mat Wayne who died this week

Gary Lineker hailed a ‘force of nature’ BBC floor manager who died this week in an emotional tribute on Match of the Day during yesterday’s FA Cup final between Manchester City and Manchester United.

His colleague Mat Wayne had more than 25 years of experience working in TV and he had the role as a floor manager for broadcasters.

Over his varied career, Mr Wayne had worked at the Olympics in Beijing, London, Sochi, Rio and Tokyo and FIFA World Cups in Japan, South Africa, Brazil, Russia and Qatar.

The sad death of the much-loved floor manager was announced by Lineker during the halftime break of FA Cup final yesterday afternoon.

Mat Wayne had more than 25 years of experience working in TV and he had the role as a floor manager for broadcasters

The sports pundit said: ‘Before we hand back to the second half, everyone at BBC Sport would would like to pay tribute to our much loved friend and colleague Mat Wayne who sadly passed away this week.

‘Mat was a real force of nature a true professional and someone we all enjoyed spending time with.

‘We’ll all miss him terribly and send out condolences to his family and his friends of which he had many.’

As the second half began, the screen showed a picture of Mr Wayne and a caption that read: ‘Mat Wayne –  1971 – 2023’.

And commentator Guy Mowbray added: ‘It will never not seem strange to me not having Mat by my side during commentary.

‘All our thoughts are there with Sarah, Oscar and Anna.’

After the match the commentator tweeted: ‘I missed my mate today. I will everyday.’

And news and sports presenter Dan Walker, who used to work with the BBC, said of the tribute: ‘Lovely touch and I thought what @Guymowbray said was wonderful too. Mat will be missed by so many.’

It has not been announced how Mr Wayne died but in 2021 he revealed on social media that he had been treated for cancer.