A Bitter End: The Collapse of World Soccer Daily

‘Let’s Put This Crap to Bed’

With that single, contemptuous phrase, Steve Cohen attempted to dismiss the outrage he had provoked. His programme, World Soccer Daily, was facing a furious backlash from Liverpool supporters’ groups over his repeated and inflammatory comments about the Hillsborough disaster. The apology, if it could be called that, failed spectacularly. Instead of quelling the anger, it acted as an accelerant.

Cohen then doubled down, claiming that a third of the emails he received from Liverpool supporters contained anti-Semitic abuse. He insisted this evidence had been passed to the FBI. Yet when challenged to substantiate the claim, or to prove the abuse originated from official supporters’ groups, he produced nothing. No evidence ever emerged. The FBI was a phantom, a rhetorical shield in a war of his own making.

The campaign against the show, which had begun with boycotts, now had a new and volatile energy.

Sponsors Flee a Sinking Ship

The financial consequences were becoming severe. One by one, sponsors began to withdraw their support. The list grew to include FourFourTwo magazine, Heineken, the FADO Irish pubs chain, and RuffNeck Scarves. With its revenue streams constricting, World Soccer Daily was in trouble. Cohen, cornered, sought negotiation with American Liverpool fans, who laid out three clear conditions for any resolution: evidence of the alleged email sender’s membership in an official group, proof of institutional complicity, and the relevant FBI case references.

Into this already fraught environment stepped Mark Sawyer of UCLA, presented as a neutral mediator. His neutrality was questionable. Writing on the Soccer Universe site, Sawyer gave his own partial commentary. He exaggerated a phrase like “gets the bullet” into a literal death threat and suggested Liverpool’s owners were fanning the flames of the dispute. His intervention, far from building bridges, simply reinforced the conviction of the protesting groups that they were dealing with a hostile party.

The situation descended into a grim farce. Antony Ananins, an activist campaigning against Cohen, reported receiving his own threats, including one on his life. Unlike Cohen, he referred the matter to the FBI and made the case details public. The weight of the sponsor withdrawals, however, was the decisive factor. World Soccer Daily’s days were numbered.

A Disgraceful Finale

The end, when it came in the summer of 2009, was vindication for the campaigners. For American soccer, it was a chance to move on from a toxic figure whose belligerence had damaged the community’s trust. Cohen’s downfall was entirely of his own making.

The show’s final act was a parting shot of pure spite. A closing message on its website published the email addresses of those who had campaigned against the programme, a transparent invitation for them to receive abuse. A clumsy defence of Cohen appeared on the Everton site Toffeeweb, which branded the defunct programme “a great show,” but the praise rang hollow. The essential truth was simple: without Cohen’s initial remarks on Hillsborough, there would have been no boycott, no collapse, and no disgraceful finale. The saga of Steve Cohen and World Soccer Daily was over.

Questions and answers

What caused the collapse of the World Soccer Daily programme?

The programme World Soccer Daily collapsed following a furious backlash from Liverpool supporters over inflammatory comments made by its host, Steve Cohen, about the Hillsborough disaster. A subsequent campaign and boycott led to sponsors withdrawing their support. The show's downfall was a direct result of Cohen's initial remarks.

Which sponsors pulled their support from World Soccer Daily?

Several sponsors withdrew their support from World Soccer Daily amidst the controversy. The list of sponsors that pulled out included FourFourTwo magazine, Heineken, the FADO Irish pubs chain, and RuffNeck Scarves. The loss of this revenue was a decisive factor in the programme's demise.

What did Steve Cohen claim about Liverpool supporters?

Steve Cohen claimed that a third of the emails he received from Liverpool supporters contained anti-Semitic abuse. He also insisted that he had passed this evidence to the FBI. However, when challenged, he produced no evidence to substantiate the claim.

When did World Soccer Daily end?

The programme World Soccer Daily ended in the summer of 2009. Its collapse was seen as a vindication for the campaigners who had protested against it. The final act was a message on its website that published the email addresses of those who had campaigned against the programme.