CLAIMS beginning to snowball on social media say that BBC News has framed Sunday’s England v Italy Euro 2020 final as a battle between Catholics and Anglicans.

The report in question was broadcast on BBC News a little before 1o’clock in the afternoon, with the journalist speaking live from Rome.

In one short clip shared on social media, she can be heard to say: “Framed in every kind of way you can imagine, Catholics against Anglicans, a mission to stop the European trophy going to a nation that has just left the EU.”

READ MORE: BBC urged to stop covering football through an ‘English lens’

That 13-second clip was shared by Alba’s Chris McEleny.

He also wrote: “A BBC journalist just claimed on @BBCNews that tonight’s match is being framed as Catholics vs Anglicans.

“They’ve absolutely lost it. The actual BBC news.

“Have they gone mad or are they doing it on purpose?

“It’s not Italy v England tonight according to the BBC, it’s Catholics vs Anglicans.”

Another prominent Twitter account, journalist Ross McCafferty, also shared the clip. It has since been deleted, but not before accruing thousands of views.

In McCafferty’s version, which was two seconds shorter, the journalist said the same words.

In the now deleted tweet, he wrote: “Absolutely deranged take on the BBC News, claiming that the match is being framed as ‘Catholics against Anglicans’.”

The clips have led to an outpouring of criticism of the BBC with people calling it “just nuts”, “sad”, “utterly stupid” and saying: “The BBC has lost its tiny, deluded mind.”

The National:

However, if the full report is viewed, the journalist, Europe correspondent Lucy Williamson, makes clear that it is not the BBC framing the England v Italy match as a religious showdown.

Speaking from Rome, the journalist said: “If you read the Italian papers, look at social media here, it's being framed in every kind of way you can imagine, Catholics against Anglicans, a mission to stop the European trophy going to a nation that has just left the EU.

“I think however you slice it, this is going to be a really big match for both sides.”

A search on social media shows that the BBC report was correct, and people have been framing the Euro final in such a way.

One “copypasta” - a block of text which is copied and pasted across the internet across various sites - reads: “Euro 2020 Final on 11th July, 2021

“England vs Italy

“The Queen vs The Pope

“Three Lions vs Azurris

“Anglican vs Catholic

“Bentley vs Lamborghini

“Rolls Royce vs Ferrari

“Chips vs Pizza

“New Balance vs Gucci

“Coming home vs Going to Rome”

Variations of this are easily found at a cursory glance, as well as more in depth, satirical versions of the same framing. 

Searching the Italian terms brings up further results.

One Twitter account, which ostensibly belongs to a law student in Milan, says that their timeline contains the “clash between Catholics and Anglicans [translated]” as part of the ubiquitous chatter about the Euro 2020 final. 

Fact check rating:

The National: National Fact Check False