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)
Sport
Salford City FC have been bought out by a new consortium
Danny Jones
Another era beckons for Salford City as a buyout of the Greater Manchester football club by a new consortiumhas been announced.
Well, sort of.
Salford City FC were famously the subject of a joint takeover by Singaporean businessman Peter Lim and members of Manchester United’s Class of ’92 over a decade ago, and now 11 years on from that last milestone moment in their history, the local side has a new administration once again.
It is a fresh chapter for the club, but supporters will be glad to hear that there will also be some continuity and key throughline of consistency among some of those at the top.
Salford City announces that the Club has been acquired by a new ownership group led by David Beckham and Gary Neville, and includes US-based businessman Declan Kelly and Lord Mervyn Davies who will both serve as new Co-Chairs of the Club’s board.
Led by Man United legends Gary Neville and David Beckham, who have been involved with Salford since 2014, the new nine-member consortium consists of the Dream Sports Group – a leading sports technology company based in India – along with a number of other key figures.
One of those is Lord Mervyn Davies, a former Labour MP and Minister of State for Trade, Investment and Small Business, who still serves as a trade envoy between the UK and Sri Lanka.
Another is Irish-American entrepreneur Declan Kelly, who is Chairman and CEO of The Consello Group, a global advisory and investing firm.
While the previous co-owners and fellow Class of ’92 United graduates are no longer shareholders at Moor Lane, it is said they will still play important roles at the club.
As the official statement reads, “The acquisition includes a commitment by the new shareholders to invest significantly in the Club, the team and its facilities”, meaning there will funds will likely be sweet aside not only for some healthy transfer business but more updates to the Peninsula Stadium.
Commenting on the announcement, Neville said: “I’m passionate about Salford City. This is a unique partnership with a diverse range of minds and expertise, held together by a love of football.
“Football will come first, however, it’s critical that we drive the Club towards sustainability in the next 4-5 years. I can’t wait for the next part of this journey.”
Meanwhile, Beckham went on to add in the excitable Instagram post seen above: “Salford played such an important role in my life growing up… It’s where I trained with United alongside my best mates every day, it’s where I bought my first house and where me and Victoria lived.
“I’m so proud to be part of a new ownership group alongside my mate [Neville] as we begin the next chapter of Salford’s journey. Football is at the heart of this community and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for the Ammies.
Chester Zoo’s sellout 10k charity run returns this summer with three new routes
Emily Sergeant
Chester Zoo has announced that its popular Run For Nature is back again this summer, and this year, there’s three new routes to run.
The UK’s biggest charity zoo saw success with similar sold-out events in 2023 and 2024, and is now looking for 2,500 runners to sign up for one of the North West’s most unique athletic experiences when it returns later this year – with all funds raised from the popular event going towards efforts to protect highly-endangered giraffes in Africa.
Participants will this year take on a brand-new route winding through more of the zoo than ever before, and enjoying glimpses of elephants, lemurs, and other incredible species along the way, before heading out into the picturesque Cheshire countryside.
Chester Zoo is inviting runners of all abilities to take part this year, as there’s a new 5km run added to the usual 10km route, and even a one-mile ‘Zoom’ fun run for kids aged four-15.
With only 2,500 places up for grabs, organisers say the event is expected to sell out quickly, just like it has the past two years, as runners race to support a very special cause.
All proceeds from this year’s Run For Nature in September will go directly towards protecting Nubian giraffes in East Africa – a species which has seen drastic population declines in the wild due to habitat loss, poaching and conflict with humans.
Chester Zoo’s sellout 10k charity run is returning this summer with three new routes / Credit: Chester Zoo
Runners will receive a wooden medal at the finish line and free entry to the zoo for the remainder of the day, so they can relax and celebrate their achievement among 30,000 amazing animals.
If that didn’t all sound brilliant enough as it is, top fundraisers from the day will also be in with a chance of winning some exciting prizes too, including annual zoo memberships, animal adoptions, and even special behind-the-scenes zoo experiences.
“We’re thrilled to be bringing back Run For Nature for a third incredible year,” explained Sarah Jones, who is the Fundraising Lead at Chester Zoo.
“We’ve now doubled the distance runners spend inside the zoo, so they’ll pass by even more iconic animals, [making it] a really special experience you won’t get anywhere else.”
Run For Nature is back at Chester Zoo this Sunday 21 September, and you can find out more and sign up to take part here.
Danny Jones -
16th May 2023 
