Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher says Manchester City once turned him down when he asked to interview David Silva.
Writing for the Telegraph, Carragher said City refused him the interview because he ‘wears red pom poms.’
“Since working in the media, I have experienced City’s paranoia,” wrote the pundit. “Over the years I have used my platform on Sky Sports and in this column to show my respect for City managers and players. As recently as last week I wrote De Bruyne could be the Premier League’s greatest midfielder and said Haaland terrifies defenders. .
“Prior to David Silva’s City departure I wrote how he was one of my favourite ever Premier League players. I wanted to interview Silva before he left English football, well aware of City’s belief that their rivals receive more favourable media coverage.
“When told of my request, City’s response was they would grant no such interview to me because ‘I wear red pom poms’. Every ex-player in the media wants their team to win but no other club has reacted to me in this way.”
City show their petty side
The pettiness of City’s response here is really quite something. Even as the relationship between the two clubs deteriorates, this kind of thing shouldn’t be happening.
Carragher is of course an outspoken Liverpool fan – he played 737 times for the Reds, what do you expect?
But as a pundit, he’s one of the best around. Rival fans may decry him as being bias in his views towards Liverpool, but that doesn’t often come across during his commentary and analysis.
For City to turn him down because of his Liverpudlian connections is bizarre.
Just recently, Gary Neville was afforded an interview with Erling Haaland inside the Etihad Stadium.
If we’re talking about punditry bias, then Neville has to be at the top of the list. His United tinted glasses are very rarely removed. The former England man is just as associated with his old club as Carragher is with his.
United are greater rivals to City than Liverpool will ever be. It just shows you the level of anger towards the Reds from those at the Citizens that the same right wasn’t extended to Carragher as it was to Neville.
There are reasons for that, and Liverpool aren’t blameless at times. But you have to think that a lot of it has to do with the Reds refusal to lie down for them on their path to domestic success. Long may that continue.
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