Mayur Bhanji pictured with FIFA president Sepp Blatter

A journalism graduate who can count the head of world soccer among his interviewees has landed a job covering top flight football.

Mayur Bhanji, who finished the University of Central Lancashire’s sports journalism degree last month, will be working for the BBC Saturday afternoon football results show ‘Final Score’.

He will also be covering the Olympics and a host of other sports for BBC Radio London and BBC TV News.

Mayur, from Leicester, gained work experience at the BBC’s Asian Network for the past two years while studying at UCLan and interviewed FIFA President Sepp Blatter at its HQ in Zurich.

He also had the privilege of covering one of the semi-finals at this summer’s Euro 2008 football Championships, in Vienna.

During the second year of his degree Mayur studied in Madrid and got experience working at Real Madrid TV as a pundit.

He said: “I got in touch with Clare Rouke, a UCLan journalism graduate who worked there as a presenter at the time and took it from there. My long term ambition is to work in football commentary.

“UCLan’s Sports Journalism course has given me a head start in the industry.

“I feel fortunate to have had the opportunity to learn from people who have actually worked in the business.”