Suddenly, a video of Thomas Müller's horse appears on TV.
What on earth was that? During the Olympic football semi-final between Germany and the USA, Bayern star Thomas Müller suddenly appeared on screen riding a horse on the ARD. The surprised commentator remained calm, viewers were amused. The broadcaster clarified the situation.
ARD has attributed the sudden appearance of a clip of Bayern pro Thomas Müller riding a horse during the broadcast of the women's football Olympic semi-final to a "technical error". "We were recording the studio interview with Christian Kukuk during the football match and intended to play the clip with Thomas Müller," ARD team chief Gerd Gottlob told Deutsche Presse-Agentur. "Due to a technical error, this clip was then broadcast."
During the broadcast of the match between the German team and the USA on Tuesday evening, Müller was briefly seen in the 11th minute, synchronising leg movements with a horse standing in front of him. "I'm seeing Thomas Müller with a horse here now, I don't think that was planned," commented surprised commentator Stephanie Baczyk. Many social media users commented on the gaffe, bewildered and amused.
Moderator Esther Sedlaczek also explained the scene again to ARD viewers during half-time, clarifying that the clip was not planned. "Of course, horsepower is required in this game, but it wasn't planned for a horse to actually make it onto the screen," said the moderator. "Esther handled it very nicely," said ARD team chief Gottlob.
Olympic champion in show jumping Kukuk had previously won gold with the horse Checker, which also belongs to Bayern pro Müller. The German women's football team missed out on a place in the final after a 0:1 defeat to the USA in extra time and will play for bronze.
The Olympic Games 2024 in Paris might have inspired the ARD's unexpected inclusion of a horse in their broadcast, as Olympic champion in show jumping Kukuk is known for his success with Bayern pro Thomas Müller's horse, Checker. Despite the technical error, viewers found the clip with Müller and the horse amusing during the Olympic football semi-final.
