Aston Villa drops threat to take legal action against Jamie Carragher after apology

Aston Villa has dropped its threat to take legal action against Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher after he apologised for comments the club described as unacceptable insults. The club announced on Friday that it intended to take legal action, but had not begun proceedings before ending its threat following Carragher’s apology on Saturday.

Carragher made the comments on the Stick to Football podcast, linking Villa manager Unai Emery with the possibility of succeeding Michael Carrick at Manchester United. He also told Villa fans to keep quiet in response to their criticism of him. Carragher said Emery might want to manage a big club, citing the hierarchy of clubs in football and noting that Aston Villa would never be as big as Manchester United.

In an apology posted on social media, Carragher said his language had been rash and wrong, and that he had meant it as a joke, but understood that his words had not been taken that way. Emery joined Aston Villa in 2022 and had previously managed Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal, according to the source.