Video: David Ginola in hot water after BT Sport are forced to apologise for offensive gesture live during their coverage of Newcastle v Liverpool

The former France winger claimed he didn't know they were live on air after he reacted to jokes about his choice of attire

BT Sport pundit David Ginola (Youtube/krishnews003/BTSport)

BT Sport has been forced to apologise after former France midfielder David Ginola was captured making an offensive hand gesture live on air during the build-up to Liverpool’s Premier League match against Newcastle.

Ginola was working alongside Steve McManaman and Owen Hargeaves as part of the studio punditry team, with BT Sport regulars Jake Humphrey and Tim Lovejoy presenting Saturday’s lunchtime kick-off.

It was Humphrey who started the taunting of Ginola’s choice of attire, with the 46-year-old choosing to wear a pair of torn jeans and trainers along with his shirt and jacket. The former BBC presenter claimed Ginola had thought they would be working behind a desk and that the Frenchman would only have his upper torso on display to the camera – a joke that Ginola clearly wasn’t impressed with.

As Humphey turned to the camera to continue the coverage, Ginola, Hargreaves and McManaman were seen to continue their conversation in the background, where the former Newcastle, Tottenham , Aston Villa and Everton winger aimed the gesture towards the other two analysts.

“BT Sport would like to apologise for any offence that was caused during this morning's/Saturday's broadcast,” the broadcaster tweeted via its official Twitter account. “David Ginola apologised straight afterwards as he realised this was an inappropriate action.”

Humphey also apologised live on air, saying: “If you saw David being a little bit naughty earlier on, we apologise, right?”

“Of course we do,” Ginola answered. “I didn’t think we were live, but we were. Sorry about that.”

The TV channel then suffered further embarrassment on Sunday when German football reporter Raphael Honigstein produced the same gesture during the opening of the BT Sport Sunday night show.

Honigstein was immediately removed from the broadcast, before tweeting an apology for his behaviour after an angry father messaged him.

"@RobStewart_ @btsport I'm genuinely sorry. I thought we are still in rehearsal. #stupid" read Honigstein's reply.