Soccer-Carragher apologises after Villa threaten legal action over remarks

Former Liverpool defender and television ​pundit Jamie Carragher apologised to ‌Aston Villa ​and their supporters on Saturday after the Premier League club threatened legal action over comments he made on a podcast ‌about the team and their fans.

Villa's response followed comments by Carragher on the Stick to Football podcast where he told Villa fans to "shut the fuck up", and said, "Aston Villa will never ‌be Manchester United." He also discussed speculation linking Villa manager Unai Emery with a move to ‌United should the opportunity arise.

"I'd like to apologise to Aston Villa, the owners and their fans. My language this week was clumsy and wrong," Carragher wrote in a brief statement on X. "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)!"

Villa ⁠chairman Nassef Sawiris said on Friday the club would not tolerate Carragher's comments and they would ​pursue legal action, accusing the former England defender of making "unacceptable insults" about the club ⁠and its supporters. Villa did not specify on what legal basis it planned to take action and did not ⁠immediately ​respond to a request for comment.

Before issuing his apology, Carragher had attempted to play down the remarks, saying he made them in jest. The 48-year-old added that his comments reflected ⁠his admiration for Emery, whom he regards as one of the Premier League's best managers, ⁠rather than any ⁠criticism of Villa.

Villa, ninth in the Premier League, host Fulham on Saturday before visiting Barcelona in the Champions League next week.