Aston Villa takes legal action against pundit Carragher over 'unacceptable insults'

Aston Villa chairman Nassef Sawiris announced the club will pursue legal action against pundit Jamie Carragher over comments he made about the club and its fans.

Aston Villa has announced it will take legal action against Jamie Carragher following comments the pundit made on his podcast Stick to Football. Club chairman Nassef Sawiris stated: "Aston Villa will undertake legal steps against Jamie Carragher for his unacceptable insults towards the club and its fans. Aston Villa will not allow anyone to stop our progress in English and European football."

Carragher's remarks came while discussing Unai Emery as a potential successor to Manchester United manager Michael Carrick. The former Liverpool defender argued that Manchester United would represent a significant step up for Emery, and made disparaging comments about Aston Villa's status in football's hierarchy. "There is a pecking order in football, whether you like it or not," Carragher said on the podcast. "Aston Villa will never be Manchester United... so shut the fuck up, Aston Villa fans."

Carragher later appeared on The Overlap and attempted to walk back his comments, saying: "It got a bit out of hand. I probably shouldn't have said it, but it was a joke."