Aston Villa plans to sue ex-player for 'unacceptable insults' on podcast

· Yahoo Sports

Aston Villa has released a statement, signed by club chairman Nassef Sawiris, saying it will take legal action against Jamie Carragher for comments the pundit and former player made on a podcast.

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Appearing on "Stick To Football," the former Liverpool defender suggested that while he respected Villa manager Unai Emery's work at Aston Villa, the manager could still weigh a move to a struggling Manchester United team because of its traditional place in global soccer's pecking order.

"I mentioned Unai Emery and have had loads of Villa fans on my case on social media which is absolutely fine," he said, continuing, "Surely he would want that opportunity to manage a giant again. I'm not trying to annoy you, Villa fans.

"But there is a chain in football, whether you like it or not. So, Real Madrid will take Man U's best player, they'll take Ronaldo. There's a few above Manchester United, above Liverpool. And there will be teams below Aston Villa, and they’ll take their manager or take their players, so shut the (expletive) up, Aston Villa fans. You know what I mean? Aston Villa will never be Man United."

But Villa fans have continued to express their frustration, with Carragher again explaining his comments on a different show on the same podcast network. That, also, was not enough to cool the situation, with the Europa League champion now saying it plans to see the commentator in court.

"Aston Villa will initiate legal action against Jamie Carragher for his unacceptable insults about the Club and its fans," reads a statement attributed to Sawiris. "Aston Villa will not allow anyone to stop our ascension in English and European football."

Villa currently sits ninth in the Premier League table and sits second in the UEFA Champions League table through three matches in the league stage, having won all three of their European games so far.

The club has a rich history, having won the Champions League in 1981-82 when it was called the European Cup. The Europa League win in 2025-26 was the first European trophy for Aston Villa since it lifted the 2001 Intertoto Cup, a lower-tier competition than either the Champions League or Europa League.

Sawiris, an Egyptian billionaire who is on the Board of Trustees at his alma mater the University of Chicago, has run the club since being part of a group that acquired it in 2018 when it was in the second division.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Aston Villa plans to sue ex-player for 'unacceptable insults' on podcast

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