LONDON — Leading football commentator Jamie Carragher has apologized to Aston Villa for comments he made on a podcast that prompted the English club to say it was taking legal action against the former Liverpool defender.
Carragher used the expletive at Villa fans who criticized him for suggesting Villa manager Unai Emery should consider taking charge of Manchester United if under-pressure Michael Carrick was sacked.
Speaking on the Stick to Football podcast on Thursday, Carragher said: “There’s a chain in football, whether you like it or not” and “Aston Villa will never be Manchester United”.
A post on Villa’s X account late on Friday, signed by chairman Nassef Sawiris, said: “Aston Villa will be taking legal action against Jamie Carragher for his unacceptable insults about the club and its fans.
“Aston Villa will not let anyone stop our rise in English and European football.”
Carragher responded with his own post on X on Saturday.
“I want to apologize to the owner of Aston Villa” & fans,” he wrote. “I’ve been tongue-tied this week & wrong.
“I can assure Villa fans that this is all joking aside, but I can understand that it wasn’t taken that way, so I apologize.”
A leading figure in football punditry, Carragher has worked for British broadcaster Sky Sports and American broadcaster CBS since retiring from football in 2013.
In 2018, Carragher was briefly suspended by Sky after he was filmed spitting out his car window towards a 14-year-old girl.
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