ASTON VILLA TO SUE LIVERPOOL LEGEND JAMIE CARRAGHER OVER 'UNACCEPTABLE INSULTS'

Aston Villa are ready to begin legal action against Jamie Carragher

Aston Villa have said that they will begin legal action against Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher over “unacceptable insults” towards the club and its fans.

The Villans released a statement on their social media on Friday night, signed by chairman Nassef Sawiris, insisting that the Premier League club ‘will initiate legal action’ against Carragher with Aston Villa vowing to ‘not allow anyone to stop our ascension’ to the top of football.

The statement read: ‘Aston Villa will initiate legal action against Jamie Carragher for his unacceptable insults about the Club and its fans. Aston Villa will not allow anyone to stop our ascension in English and European football. Nassef Sawiris, Chairman.’

Carragher received criticism from Aston Villa fans for suggesting that head coach Unai Emery would be interested in taking the Manchester United job if offered to replace Michael Carrick.

Carrick has been coming under increasing pressure in recent weeks and was given a ‘stay of execution’ after Man Utd’s recent 3-0 defeat to Bournemouth.

Speaking on Stick to Football, Carragher said: “I think Unai Emery is unbelievable with what he does year after year. That amount of change, players needing time to settle and he does it year after year.

“But the reason I’m going to go back at Villa fans is I can’t believe that a manager who is so successful in the Europa League, take a player, if you’d won the Europa League three of four times surely you’ll then want to go for the Champions League.

“Aston Villa will never be Manchester United. I just think he didn’t do well at PSG or Arsenal, and maybe that’s because of egos in the dressing room and that sort of thing. But surely he would want that opportunity to manage a giant again. There is a chain in football, whether you like it or not.

“So Real Madrid will take Manchester United’s best player, they did it with (Cristiano) Ronaldo. And they will be teams below Aston Villa, and they’ll take their players or manager, so shut the f*** up Aston Villa fans. Aston Villa will never be Manchester United.”

After telling Aston Villa fans to “shut the f*** up”, Carragher said on social media: “It was a joke after the stick Villa fans have given me over saying Emery may fancy joining Man Utd.

“I hope these clown clips show me praising Emery/Villa like I have done for years & saying how pleased I was you won [the 2026 Europa League] in Istanbul.”

Carragher: Maybe I shouldn’t have used an expletive

Explaining it further on The Overlap, Carragher said: “I just think Unai Emery is the best manager in the league and if you’re Man Utd you’re thinking ‘what’s the best we can get?’. I’m not saying he’ll go – I’m just saying if it was me I’d ask the question.

“Certain managers are good at certain clubs and that’s Emery. He reminds me of Rafa [Benitez]. I think your own ego if someone said ‘that’s your level’ would say ‘no I’m not’. That was my point.

“It’s grew arms and legs. I ended up telling them to [expletive] which maybe I shouldn’t have done but it was all in jest because they’ve been all over my social timeline. I was saying [expletive] off my socials.”

- Joe Williams

JÜRGEN KLOPP' STORMS OUT OF INTERVIEW AS LIVERPOOL LEGEND REFUSES TO ANSWER QUESTIONS

Jurgen Klopp stormed out of an interview after the Liverpool legend refused to answer a question following controversy regarding one of his fellow World Cup pundits

Jurgen Klopp stormed out of an interview(Image: DW Sports)

Ex-Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp abruptly ended an interview when questioned about the racism row involving Bastian Schweinsteiger.

The World Cup champion has been accused of making racist comments while analysing Germany's victory over the Ivory Coast. The former Manchester United and Bayern Munich star works for German broadcaster ARD.

Schweinsteiger, 41, has faced criticism for his depiction of the Ivory Coast's playing style. While evaluating the west African team, he referred to their football as "African football" before characterising it as being "a bit unorthodox sometimes, a bit wild, not quite as tactical."

Bastian Schweinsteiger has been accused of making racially insensitive comments(Image: Getty Images)

He also suggested that Julian Nagelsmann's squad must be "prepared for it to be unpredictable at times" prior to their 2-1 win. The ex-midfielder's comments have sparked backlash and become a significant talking point in Germany.

So much so that Klopp, who is currently working as a pundit for Magenta TV in the US, was pressed by another journalist to comment on the controversy. When confronted, he promptly cut off the interview and walked away.

In conversation with DW Sports, the former Liverpool boss said: "And now you want to carry on this subject. No, no, I have no chance, I have no chance to answer this question.

"Everybody likes it, so you bring me into this situation. It's not my job that everybody likes it, but this is a serious subject. I don't even know what is appropriate to say.

"For African people it's one thing, for other people it's another thing, and I'm not here. Thank god I thought nobody asked me about that. You found a moment and surprisingly you are German. That surprised me so much. Thank you very much."

Klopp then walked away from the gathered journalists, many of whom were heard calling out "no, no" as he departed.

Phillip Awounou, a sports journalist and author from Germany, slammed Schweinsteiger's comments in a recent article. Penning his column for Spiegel news magazine, he wrote: "Behind attributions like 'wild' and 'unpredictable' are stereotypes which are older than football and which have racist, colonial roots.

"In the past, Black people of African heritage were stigmatised as uncivilised ('wild'), different ('unorthodox') and potentially dangerous ('unpredictable').

"These are racist stereotypes," sports content creator Patrick Schnitzler told his 50,000 Instagram followers, referencing recent academic research which has demonstrated that commentators and supporters are more likely to emphasise Black footballers' physical attributes than those of non-Black players.

"We learn such stereotypes because we have grown up in a society with stereotypes. Schweinsteiger, too. You and me, too."

Awounou did make clear that he does not consider Schweinsteiger to be a racist, explaining: "That's simply wrong. Regardless of his problematic remarks, Schweinsteiger is absolutely not a racist and shouldn't be labelled as such."

After the match, Schweinsteiger took to social media, stating: "Ivory Coast were the difficult opponent we expected and showed their technical quality and physicality," shortly after Germany clinched a thrilling 2-1 victory.

- Cameron Winstanley and Cameron Winstanley

JOHN BARNES | LIVERPOOL LEGEND | ENGLAND | 1982

 

LIVERPOOL LEGEND JOHN BARNES ON BLUNDER BY BBC ON GARY LINEKER FREE SPEECH