Second right: Gerald Sinstadt with Bobby Moore and Sir Bobby Charlton while creating a BBC World Service program in 1968
Gerald Sinstadt, a former television commentator, has died at the tender age of 91.
Sinstadt's work with the BBC and ITV made Sinstadt one of the most well-known voices in football broadcasting in the 1970s, after he started at Granada Television.
He covered four World Cups from 1970 to 1982 for ITV, and later worked for the BBC on Olympic Games.
Andrew Clement, who was with Sinstadt for around 30 years at the BBC, said that Sinstadt was a skilled craftsman, a good commentator, and a wonderful man.
Sinstadt was one the first commentators to point out racist taunts on the terraces in the 1970s. He did so during West Brom's win over Manchester United 5-3 in 1978.
He also commented on other famous games that occurred during that time, such as Denis Law's goal against Manchester City in 1974 and Liverpool winning the European Cup quarter-final against St Etienne 1977.
He covered West Germany's win against France in the 1982 World Cup semi-final, as well as Diego Maradona scoring at the 1994 World Cup before he was expelled from the tournament.
Sinstadt returned to the BBC in 1980s and was the pitchside reporter for the Hillsborough disaster of 1989. He also appeared in Jimmy McGovern's 1996 television docu-drama on the tragedy.
He also covered Sir Steve Redgrave's win of the first four Olympic gold medals, as well as the Boat Race for BBC.
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Sinstadt was a regular guest on Football Focus, Match of the Day, and Final Score up to his retirement. He was frequently called upon to voice and write obituaries for Clement towards the end of Sinstadt's career.
Clement, executive producer of BBC Sport, said that "he taught me a lot." He was generous with his time, and was a great mentor for many of us when we first started in television.
"He was a brilliant wordsmith, especially when it came to paying tribute in obituaries to the greats of the game.
His ability to use language was exceptional and he was a master at translating words into pictures. He would often sit in on the editing, which was unusual in those days. He would make a shot with me and add a phrase or an image to bring it to life. He created his pieces.
Born in Folkestone, Kent, Sinstadt began his career at the British Forces Broadcasting Service in 1949. He met Barry Davies.
Sinstadt and Davies were reunited on BBC Radio after their return from the UK. The former worked in the 1950s- 1960s. Both became well-known voices in sports broadcasting during the 1970s.
Sinstadt was also a commentator on golf for Channel 4 as well as the first voice to speak on the Trans World Sport program in 1987. He also produced television programs on opera, his other passion.
After settling in the Potteries Sinstadt wrote a weekly column for Stoke Sentinel up to 2019.
