Aston Villa say they will start legal action against Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher. The club accuses him of "unacceptable insults" about Villa and its supporters. Villa posted the statement on X on Friday evening. It was signed by chairman Nassef Sawiris, the Guardian and the BBC reported.
"Aston Villa will initiate legal action against Jamie Carragher for his unacceptable insults about the club and its fans," the statement said. It added that the club would "not allow anyone to stop our ascension in English and European football". The statement did not say what form the legal action would take.
The row began on the Stick to Football podcast. Carragher, a 48-year-old former Liverpool defender, suggested that Villa manager Unai Emery would be interested in the Manchester United job. According to the BBC, Michael Carrick's position at United is in doubt after a poor start to the season. Carragher argued that football has a hierarchy, with bigger clubs taking players and managers from smaller ones. He said Real Madrid had taken Cristiano Ronaldo from United. He then told Villa fans to "shut the [expletive] up" and said Villa "will never be Manchester United".
Carragher has already responded to the backlash, the BBC reported. On social media, he called the remark "a joke" after criticism from Villa fans over his Emery comments. He pointed to years of praise for Emery and Villa. He also said he had been pleased when Villa won the 2026 Europa League in Istanbul.
Carragher said he believes Emery is the best manager in the league. He said United would naturally ask whether they could get him. "I'm not saying he'll go – I'm just saying if it was me I'd ask the question," he said. He also compared Emery to Rafa Benitez. He admitted that swearing at the fans was something he "maybe shouldn't have done". But he said it was "all in jest" because Villa fans had flooded his social media.
According to the BBC, Carragher works as a pundit for Sky Sports and the American broadcaster CBS. The reports did not include comment from either broadcaster.