Aston Villa’s chairman has accused ex-Liverpool defender Carragher of insulting the West Midlands club.
Published On 31 Oct 2026
Aston Villa will pursue legal action against pundit Jamie Carragher, the Premier League club has said, accusing the former Liverpool defender of making “unacceptable insults” about the club and their supporters.
Villa’s response followed comments by Carragher on the Stick to Football podcast, where he told Villa supporters to “shut the [expletive] up” and said, “Aston Villa will never be Manchester United”, suggesting there is a hierarchy in football.
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“I’m not trying to annoy Villa fans but there is a chain in football, whether you like it or not,” said Carragher. “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.”
With Michael Carrick’s role at United in danger after the team’s dismal start to the season, Carragher also discussed speculation linking Villa manager Unai Emery with a move to Old Trafford should the opportunity arise.
“Aston Villa will initiate legal action against Jamie Carragher for his unacceptable insults about the club and its fans,” Villa chairman Nassef Sawiris said on Friday.
“Aston Villa will not allow anyone to stop our ascension in English and European football.”
The club did not say on what legal basis it would take action. It did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
The news agency added that Carragher did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Villa’s threat. He has sought to defuse the controversy, saying he made the remarks in jest.
“It was a joke after the stick Villa fans have given me over saying Emery may fancy joining Man Utd,” Carragher said on social media.
“I hope these clown clips show me praising Emery/Villa like I have done for years & saying how pleased I was you won [the 2026 Europa League] in Istanbul.”
Carragher also reiterated that his comments reflected his high regard for Emery rather than any perceived shortcomings at Villa, saying he regarded the Spaniard as one of the best managers in the Premier League.
