Tyson Fury fans accuse the BBC of foul play in SPOTY vote

Tyson Fury fell short in his bid to be named Sports Personality of the Year, but some fans claim the voting process wasn’t entirely fair.

The boxer came under fire for his public views on homosexuality and gender equality, yet still took fourth place in the public vote for the award.

But there have been many complaints from supporters of the heavyweight champ that they were unable to vote for him.

So; the phonevote line for Fury was constantly engaged

— steve ↙️ (@oldheatonian) December 20, 2015

https://twitter.com/JoelDancer64/status/678684252926529536

@kofiyates @djk256 @Tyson_Fury they made his line engaged so people couldn't get a vote in clearly pic.twitter.com/GZy30uV7iE

— Danny B (@Airmiles23) December 20, 2015

I couldn't get through to vote @Tyson_Fury …After numerous attempts…#Fix #SPOTY @HennessySports

— P (@l_olzzz23) December 20, 2015

#SPOTY

Tyson Fury wins the heavyweight champion of the world and doesn't even make the top 3

RT – If you think it's fixed

— Hastings Bloke (@HastingsBloke) December 20, 2015

Fury, who defeated Wladimir Klitschko to claim a shock victory in Dusseldorf, came fourth behind Jessica Ennis-Hill, Kevin Sinfield and eventual champion Andy Murray.

But his comments away from the ring earned him plenty of enemies, despite claims he was misquoted, and could explain why he missed out on the award.

There is certainly no indication that the BBC deliberately manipulated the vote.

A BBC spokesperson told the Daily Mirror: “Over a million votes were cast during Sports Personality of the Year and we experienced no problems registering phone or online votes.”