The BBC are upset with Liverpool snubbing their Sports Personality of the Year programme which was broadcast from Merseyside.

The Daily Mail says there was widespread anger among BBC Sport top brass that, despite a blanket invitation, not a single player from the Liverpool side or team management bothered to turn up.

The lone presence of chief executive Rick Parry failed to satisfy the BBC, one of whose senior management said: "The Liverpool team not showing up in their home city was a complete disgrace and presents the club in a particularly poor light."

A club spokesperson said Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher had 'personal reasons' why they couldn't attend, while Fernando Torres was having treatment in Spain and manager Rafa Benitez was at a conflicting club social event. The spokesman added: "If the players say they can't come for personal reasons, you can't do much about it but apologise to the BBC, which we did."