Former Manchester United star Rio Ferdinand has fired back at his ex-England teammate and Premier League rival Jamie Carragher after the Liverpool man called him “a clown” over his punditry last week.
As Ferdinand was offering up his opinion on BT Sport‘s coverage of the Milan derby in the Champions League last Wednesday, so too was Carragher over on CBS Sports and it would seem the two disagreed over the referee’s decision to overturn a penalty that was initially awarded to Inter.
Sat alongside his usual broadcast partners Kate Abdo, Thierry Henry and Micah Richards, the now-retired defender said that anyone who watched the replay on VAR and still believed it was a penalty “must be a clown”.
Most awkwardly, it turns out his former clubmate Steven Gerrard was one of those people and although he backtracked on criticising Stevie G’s judgement, he doubled down on any fellow defender calling it a penalty by dragging Rio into the conversation.
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) May 10, 2023
Nothing to see here, just Jamie Carragher waking up and choosing violence
As you can see, Carra said, “As a defender, we’ve got to try and stick together… I just felt some people were getting a little bit carried away” and after Richards jokingly pokes and asks him to “name names”, the 45-year-old willingly replied: “Rio Ferdinand, I’m happy to call him a clown”.
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Now, while we’d like to assume this was done at least in part for comedic effect — with all three of his co-hosts’ reactions, particularly Henry’s, certainly tickling viewers — it did feel a touch personal to single him out, specifically.
Reacting to the segment on his VIBE with FIVE podcast, Rio admitted he was surprised by the comments, noting that he is a “friend of the show” and that perhaps it was just a snidey little remark he knew would get clicks.
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Nevertheless, the 44-year-old went on to insist, “Every time I time I see him it’s all love” and that he “didn’t understand why he came with all the hostility”.
Can’t believe Arsenal fans would rather take 2nd over winning a trophy 👀😂
The fellow ex-pro turned pundit went on to add that “whenever we see each other it’s all cool”, adding, “he used to carry my boots when we were with England and stuff like that” — no doubt a little underhanded jab back.
Then musing on the potential reason why he might have said what he said, Rio noted that it came during “the [Premier League] Hall of Fame week” — when he was voted in and Carra is yet to be given the same recognition — insisting again that the usually get on otherwise.
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Either way, Rio says he’s “only got good energy for him” and that although he took it as “banter”, the way he delivered didn’t feel so jokey and that he’ll “need to check that energy” the next time the pair see each other.
You can watch Rio’s response to Carragher’s remarks and the rest of the episode in full down below:
Featured Image — CBS Sports (via Twitter)/ Rio Ferdinand Presents FIVE (via YouTube)
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Tommy Fury announces huge fight against former World’s Strongest Man Eddie Hall
Daisy Jackson
Tommy Fury has announced his next major boxing match – against a rather unlikely opponent.
The Manc boxer and former Love Island star will face Eddie Hall, who once reigned as the World’s Strongest Man and was the first person on the planet to deadlift 500kg.
The match, billed as Beauty vs The Beast (we’ll let you decide who’s who…), will take place at the AO Arena this summer.
Tommy Fury and Eddie Hall will be facing off in Manchester as part of the Misfits Boxing series, a sports promotion company founded by YouTube sensation KSI.
26-year-old Fury – younger brother of heavyweight legend Tyson Fury – remains unbeaten, seeing off all-comers in the crossover boxing world.
As for 38-year-old Eddie Hall (nicknamed The Beast), he retired as a strongman competitor, where he’s previously been crowned the World’s Strongest Man, and has now pivoted into combat sports.
The pair have collaborated recently on several videos online, taking on challenges like a One Punch Knockout and a breakfast eating competition.
But this will be the first time they’ve publicly faced off in the ring.
Misfirst Boxing has once more delivered the biggest match-ups possible in the crossover boxing space, with Fury vs. Hall promising to be a titanic tussle that will captivate fans around the world.
Tommy Fury vs Eddie Hall, Beauty vs The Beast, will take place on Saturday 13 June at the AO Arena in Manchester – you can get tickets HERE.
Corey Blackett-Taylor ruled out injured for the rest of the season
Danny Jones
Bolton Wanderers winger Corey Blackett-Taylor has been ruled out for the rest of the season following injury.
With not that long left in this year’s campaign and the playoff scrap set to ramp up even further in the coming weeks, it’s an unfortunate twist of fate for the Trotters.
Despite still being only a relatively recent signing, having just joined Bolton in the most recent January transfer window, it didn’t take long for him to make a good impression.
Scoring on debut in a 1-0 away win against AFC Wimbledon, the 28-year-old is now set to miss the remainder of the 2025/26 term, letting supporters know the news on Friday, 27 March.
Blackett-Taylor was forced off in the game against Rotherham United after pulling up in the wake of taking a shot, ultimately being subbed in the first half.
It was quickly confirmed to be a thigh injury, and while the specific nature and severity of the damage haven’t been fully detailed, he has now informed fans that his season is over.
Writing on Instagram, he said: “Instantly from arriving at the club, I felt the passion and support from the fans, club, staff and players.
“I have no doubts [about] the club achieving their targets of promotion – I want to say a huge thank you for making me feel so welcomed and comfortable. Unfortunately, my season is concluded due to my injury, but I’ll be here supporting the team to the very end.”
He isn’t the only impactful League One player at a side eyeing up the Championship to have been hampered by setbacks on the physio bench, with rivals Stockport County also confirming an absence at this crucial point in the campaign.
Not ideal for either of the Greater Manchester hopefuls.
Once again, while the recovery period for both of these players has already begun, the exact timelines for their return remain to be seen.
That being said, chances are we’ll see the Derby County loanee back in action before Hills, though we’ll have to wait to find out whether it will be at the Toughsheet Stadium or back with his parent club.
Who do you think is going to clinch that third promotion place at Wembley come this May?
Danny Jones -
16th May 2023 
