But family of targeted schoolgirl tell bosses ‘Don’t fire him’
THE parents of the schoolgirl spat at by Jamie Carragher have pleaded with his Sky Sports bosses: “Please don’t sack him”.
The network suspended the former England and Liverpool star yesterday after viewing footage of him spitting at a Manchester United fan and his 14-year-old daughter.
The shocking incident came in the wake of Liverpool’s 2-1 defeat at Old Trafford on Saturday.
Father-of-two Carragher, 40, rang the family – who had been in a car alongside his as he left the ground – to apologise on Sunday and contacted them again yesterday.
He later went on TV to speak of his shame, telling Sky News: “I have no excuse and it is devastating for the family involved and my own family – but it is my actions which have brought that on. “My biggest regret … is for a 14-year-old girl to be caught in the middle of an altercation with her father.” After watching the interview, during which the former player was close to tears, the girl’s parents said he should not be sacked. Her father, 42, said: “Me and my wife have both said we don’t want him to lose his job. We just wanted an apology and an explanation.”
His wife, 38, added: “I don’t want him to lose his job. He did seem extremely sorry.”
She added: “He has worked hard for what he has got and I would not like that to be taken away.”
During the TV interview, Carragher said he was speaking to Sky about his future and added that he hoped he would not be condemned for a “moment of madness”.
The incident erupted as the girl’s father, holding his mobile phone to video the star, shouted: “Two-one mate” before laughing: “Unlucky, Jamie lad.”
Carragher then spat into their open window, hitting the youngster on the forehead. She tearfully told her dad: “He spat on me.”
Carragher said during his TV interview: “This is a bad stain on my character and my career. It is the lowest of the low. All I can do is apologise and try to get back to being the person I am.”
Carragher’s Sky colleague and former Manchester United defender Gary Neville tweeted his support after the interview.
He said: “I’ve just watched Carra23 say sorry. No excuses he’s made a big mistake. I’ve been on TV for three years with him and IMO this isolated incident shouldn’t stop us working together.”
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