Carragher has final pop over Sky row
THE Andy Gray-richard Keys sexism controversy that sent Sky Sports into meltdown a year ago was reignited by Jamie Carragher after Sunday’s Carling Cup final.
Liverpool’s veteran defender told Sky’s touchline reporter Andy Burton that he was ‘lucky’ still to be employed by the TV network in an exchange on the pitch after substitute Carragher had picked up his winners’ medal.
Carragher, who had been taking pictures as he soaked up the atmosphere, objected to Burton asking him, ‘Is this the start of a farewell?’ Before walking off, the Liverpool star replied, ‘I don’t think so. Are you the manager? You were lucky to keep your job at Sky, weren’t you, after that Wolves stuff.’
That was a reference to Burton’s part in the chain of events that led to Keys and Gray departing Sky following derogatory comments off-air about referee’s assistant Sian Massey.
Before Liverpool’s Premier League game at Wolves in January 2011, Burton had said to Gray, also off-camera: ‘Apparently a female lino today, bit of a looker, according to Steve the cameraman. He says she’s all right. Now I don’t know if I shall trust his judgment on that.’
Carragher, who has appeared on the Keys and Gray radio show on TALKSPORT this season, is known to be supportive of the pair. Burton was surprisingly kept on by Sky, although he had the lowest of profiles for months afterwards.
Sky say it is an old issue that was dealt with at the time and there was no animosity in Burton’s short interview with Carragher.
ALL evidence points to Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy extracting every pound of flesh from the FA in return for losing manager Harry Redknapp and his support staff to England. A sign of Levy’s ruthless dealings where finances are involved was evident in the recent axing of Spurs commercial director Charlie Wijeratna after less than a year at White Hart Lane. The sacking of the former London 2012 executive, whose exit to join Spurs from LOCOG during the sponsorship programme annoyed his department bosses, followed Levy’s angst that Premier League rivals Aston Villa and Liverpool had beaten Tottenham to commercial deals — and Wijeratna not winning any fresh contracts. FIFA’S fat cats contributed to the cost of staging the rules-governing International Football Association Board meeting of the Home Nations at five-star Celtic Manor in Wales last year because there were extra guests to celebrate IFAB’S 125th anniversary. But there is no way they will pick up any of the tab for this weekend’s FA- organised rules summit at the luxury Pennyhill Park, in Surrey, especially after the brave solo stand against the unopposed re- election of FIFA president Sepp Blatter (above) by FA chairman David Bernstein.
THE British Olympic Association are looking to sell one million of their Team Gb-supporting designer scarves, unveiled last night after being first revealed by Sports
Agenda. On initial viewing, however, the BOA’S ‘iconic items’ — priced at £10 and £5 — don’t look like they will resonate with the public anything like the Vancouver Winter Games red mittens, which shifted four million pairs in Canada’s smaller market place. And no agreement has yet been reached for the scarves to be sold in London 2012 outlets.