Jamie Carragher has apologised to Aston Villa's owners and fans after the Premier League club threatened legal action over his comments on the Stick to Football podcast
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - MAY 2: Jamie Carragher during the Premier League match between Manchester City FC and Wolverhampton Wanderers FC at Etihad Stadium on May 2, 2025 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images)
Jamie Carragher has apologised to Aston Villa(Image: Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA, Getty Images)
Jamie Carragher has issued an apology to Aston Villa's owners and supporters after the Premier League club threatened to start legal action. The Liverpool legend and Sky Sports pundit admitted his language was 'clumsy and wrong' following a joke that saw him tell fans to 'f*** off'.
Carragher had made light of Villa supporters flooding his social media after he heaped praise on Unai Emery and suggested him as a replacement for Michael Carrick at Manchester United.
But his remarks on the Stick to Football podcast sparked fury from Villa chairman Nassef Sawiris, who accused Carragher of insulting their fanbase and pledged to "not allow anyone to stop our ascension in English and European football".
Jamie Carragher
Aston Villa threatened Jamie Carragher with legal action(Image: Richard Sellers/PA Wire)
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Aston Villa face Fulham tonight, though preparations for the match have been dominated by the statement, released late on Friday night, signed off by the Villa Park hierarchy. Carragher has now attempted to defuse the situation by posting an apology on X.
He wrote: "I'd like to apologise to Aston Villa, the owners and their fans. My language this week was clumsy and wrong.
"I can assure Villa fans it was tongue-in-cheek, but I can understand it's not come across that way, so apologies. Good luck today UTV (Up The Villa)!".
The Europa League holders can close the gap on Liverpool with a victory over Alvaro Arbeloa's side at Villa Park. Emery has steered the Midlands outfit back onto the European stage, ending their lengthy absence from continental competition by claiming silverware with a dominant triumph over Freiburg.
Unai Emery
Unai Emery has been linked to taking the Manchester United job(Image: Getty Images)
Their Champions League campaign has also got off to a flying start, with three wins from three. As pressure mounted on the Red Devils boss, potential replacements were being discussed, with Carragher throwing Emery's name into the hat.
He said: "Aston Villa will never be Man United. I'm not trying to annoy Villa fans but there is a chain in football, whether you like it or not. So Real Madrid will take Man United's best player, they'll take [Cristiano] Ronaldo. There's very few above United, the same with Liverpool.
"But there will be teams below Aston Villa and they [Villa] will take their manager or they will take their players, so shut the f*** up Villa fans. Aston Villa will never be Man United."
The remarks prompted a swift response from Villa's official X account, which has since racked up a staggering 9.9 million views at the time of writing, stating: "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".