Gavin Peacock leaving the BBC to train for the ministry

I read the other day that at the end of Euro 2008 Gavin Peacock will be stopping being a BBC pundit to move to Canada and training for the Ministry. 

Since last September, he has studied for a BA in Theology at Ridley Hall, a college in Cambridge that trains future ministers.  The pundit has been a Christian since the age of 19, when he was with Queens Park Rangers, and hosted a Bible study group for footballers.  A frequent speaker at church events, he has preached at his Anglican church in Kent and this year he has combined his football broadcasting duties with presenting Songs of Praise.

He isn’t the only Christian in football.  Portsmouth has a number of Christians including Jermain Defoe and Linvoy Primus, while, Kaká, the AC Milan playmaker, after Milan’s Champions League final victory over Liverpool last year, unveiled a vest emblazoned with the words “I belong to Jesus”.

The sidepoint to this story is and what happens at the BBC in terms of football pundits.  They’ve already lost Ian Wright as a result of using him as a “comedy jester” and with Peacock leaving, they’ll need to take on two new names.