DISNEY’S NEW WOMEN’S CHAMPIONS LEAGUE SHOW SPARKS FURY AFTER BIZARRE DEBUT — A DOG, CUCUMBERS AND VODKA TALK LEAVE FANS BAFFLED
Disney’s bold new attempt to put a fresh spin on Women’s Champions League coverage has landed with a chaotic debut — leaving football fans questioning exactly what they had just watched.
The Hangout, fronted by former Football Focus presenter Alex Scott, launched on Tuesday evening with a punditry line-up featuring former footballer Lianne Sanderson alongside influencers Tyra Mills and Alex Bailess.
Designed to provide analysis and reaction throughout the new Women’s Champions League season, the programme appeared to be targeting a younger, Gen Z audience.
But instead of focusing solely on the football, the opening episode quickly became a strange mix of punditry, lifestyle chat, influencers — and an Instagram-famous dog.
Conversations about pasta and cucumbers featured prominently, while influencer dog Barley was brought into the show and apparently given a role in choosing the potential Champions League winner through food.
The unusual approach immediately divided viewers.
One of the strangest moments came during a watch party featuring Dutch twins Sanne and Merel van Dongen, with Sanne a former basketball player and Merel a footballer.
Scott handed coverage over to the pair, only for one of them to ask: “Do you want some cucumber?”
Scott replied: “No, a drink.”
She was then told she might “get a Coca-Cola” if she “continued doing her work”, before the conversation took another bizarre turn when the water on offer was suggested to potentially be vodka.
And then there was Barley.
The dog’s presence became one of the biggest talking points of the night, with his Instagram following highlighted during the programme. However, viewers were left wondering why an animal had been incorporated into Champions League coverage in the first place.
One fan wrote that Disney appeared to believe a “revolving sofa and dog” would keep viewers interested, arguing that supporters of women’s football want the same focus on “the game, the players” and their skills as they would receive in men’s football.
Another viewer joked: “Sorry the dog in the Disney studio for the UWCL coverage is finishing me like am I watching the coverage for the football or Crufts?”
The dog itself appeared less enthusiastic about the experiment.
Barley seemed frightened by the rotating floor used in the studio, which moved the punditry team between their half-time analysis position and the watch-party area. He eventually ran away and had to be tempted back with pretzels.
The debut also suffered another unexpected problem when viewers were shown a three-minute advert break during the second half of Arsenal’s 1-0 victory over HB Koge.
One fan described Disney+ showing an advert during the Champions League match as “diabolical”.
However, Daily Mail Sport understands the interruption was the result of a technical difficulty rather than an intentional decision to cut into the live action. There are currently no plans to make wholesale changes to the programme.
The Hangout is Disney’s new addition to its Women’s Champions League coverage this season, with the streaming platform having held the competition’s rights for two years.
The show airs live from 5.30pm to 10.30pm, with Scott rotating presenting duties with Shebahn Aherne.
For a programme designed to give women’s European football a fresh identity, its first night certainly succeeded in getting people talking — although much of the conversation had little to do with what was happening on the pitch.
