Jamie Carragher apologises to Aston Villa after legal threat
Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher has apologised to Aston Villa, their owners and supporters after the club threatened legal action over his remarks. Writing on X, he described his language as "clumsy and wrong".
In a statement on Friday signed by chairman Nassef Sawiris, Villa said they would initiate legal action over "unacceptable insults" about the club and its fans. Carragher said his remarks had been intended as "tongue-in-cheek", but acknowledged they had not come across that way.
Carragher had told Villa fans to "shut the ***** up" on the Stick to Football podcast after facing criticism for suggesting Unai Emery should consider the Manchester United job. The discussion concerned Emery potentially replacing Michael Carrick at Old Trafford. Villa had not publicly responded to the apology at the time of the report.
- Carragher had argued that football operated within a hierarchy, citing Real Madrid taking Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United. He had said: "Aston Villa will never be Man United."
- Unai Emery's Aston Villa side were scheduled to play Fulham at home in the Premier League on Saturday night, 31 October 2026.
