Aston Villa have threatened legal action against former England defender Jamie Carragher over comments they described as “unacceptable insults” against the club and its supporters.
The Premier League club announced its decision in a statement posted on social media and signed by chairman Nassef Sawiris, accusing the former Liverpool defender of making insulting remarks about Villa and their fans.
Villa also vowed not to allow anyone to undermine their progress in English and European football, insisting they would “not allow anyone to stop our ascension in English and European football”.
The controversy followed comments Carragher made on the Stick to Football podcast earlier in the week, where he suggested that manager Unai Emery could be interested in taking charge of Manchester United amid uncertainty surrounding Michael Carrick’s future at Old Trafford.
Discussing the possibility of Emery, a former Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal manager, moving to United, Carragher said, “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 there will be teams below Aston Villa, and they’ll take their players or manager, so shut the [expletive] up Aston Villa fans. Aston Villa will never be Manchester United.”
The remarks attracted criticism from Villa supporters, prompting Carragher to respond on social media.
He described his instruction for the fans to “shut up” as “a joke”, saying it came after the criticism he received over suggesting that Emery might consider joining Manchester United.
The 48-year-old, who works as a pundit for Sky Sports and American broadcaster CBS, maintained that he had praised Emery and Aston Villa for years.
Speaking further on the Overlap Daily, 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.
“I think your own ego if someone said ‘that’s your level’ would say ‘no I’m not’. That was my point. It’s grown arms and legs.”
Carragher again insisted that his remarks directed at Villa supporters were intended “in jest”.
