Coleman was the BBC's senior football commentator for several years from 1971. He commentated on the World Cup Final in 1974 and 1978, the European Cup Final in 1973 and 1975 and the FA Cup final from 1972 to 1976 inclusive, although he missed the 1977 game because he was in a legal dispute with the BBC, allowing John Motson to make his FA Cup final debut. Coleman returned for the 1978 final before Motson took over the following year. Coleman's last live football commentary was on 26 May 1979 when he described England's 3–1 win over Scotland at Wembley Stadium in the 1978–79 British Home Championship, although he continued to work at football matches as a secondary commentator until October 1981 with his last game being a midweek League Cup game between Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United.