Aston Villa to take legal action against Jamie Carragher over 'unacceptable insults' to club and fans

Aston Villa say they will start legal action against Jamie Carragher, the former Liverpool defender and Sky Sports pundit, over what the club called "unacceptable insults" about Villa and its supporters.

The statement, posted on X on Friday evening and signed by chairman Nassef Sawiris, said Villa would not let anyone stop its "ascension" in English and European football, RTE and Yahoo Sports reported.

What Carragher said

On the Stick to Football podcast, Carragher was discussing whether Villa manager Unai Emery should consider the Manchester United job if it comes up, which would mean replacing Michael Carrick at Old Trafford. Carragher argued that football has a hierarchy and that "Aston Villa will never be Man United." He said the biggest clubs, such as Real Madrid, would take United's best players, and that clubs below Villa could take Villa's manager or players.

When Villa fans criticised the comments, Carragher told them to "shut the f*** up", according to the reports.

Sky Sports had not commented publicly when the statement came out, and the club has not said what form the action will take.

The background

Villa have been in the Champions League under Emery and have finished above United in recent seasons, which is what made the "hierarchy" remark land badly in Birmingham. United, meanwhile, are under pressure: Carrick went into Saturday's game at Chelsea needing a result, with United winless in eight before kick-off.

Villa's next game

Villa host Fulham at Villa Park tonight, kick-off 8pm UK time, which is 1am PKT on Sunday.

Related

• Chelsea vs Man United: Saturday 5:30pm PKT at Stamford Bridge