In a move described as bold and potentially ill-advised, Sky Sports found their pre-match plans for the Manchester derby thwarted by Manchester United officials. The broadcaster had requested that the club's new interim manager, Michael Carrick, conduct a live interview directly with the studio panel ahead of the crucial clash with Manchester City.
A Decade-Old Feud Reignited
The major stumbling block for United was the presence in that studio of former captain Roy Keane. The Irish pundit had recently reignited a bizarre, long-running spat involving Carrick's wife, Lisa. Speaking on The Overlap podcast, Keane branded Mrs Carrick "a big mouth", a comment believed to reference a social media post she made and deleted back in 2014.
That original post was a fiery response to Keane's criticism of her husband's interview following a Champions League defeat to Olympiakos. She wrote: 'Roy Keane what a **** will say anything to provoke a reaction.' Despite deleting it swiftly, Keane dredged up the incident last week after Carrick's appointment, quipping: "His wife can always come in [if Carrick doesn't do well], cause she's got a bit of a big mouth sometimes. She's probably doing the team talk."
United's Firm Rejection and Neville's Role
Facing this renewed tension, Carrick diplomatically brushed aside the comments in his pre-derby press conference. However, it is understood that Manchester United's hierarchy had a much firmer response to Sky's proposed interview setup. The request was met with short shrift and firmly rejected. Instead of the potentially explosive Carrick-Keane face-off, Sky aired an interview between Carrick and his former teammate, Gary Neville.
Other Sports News in Brief
Tottenham's Loss is Premier League's Gain: Rebecca Caplehorn, Tottenham Hotspur's highly regarded Head of Football Administration and Governance, is leaving the club after a decade. She is set to replace Tony Scholes as the Premier League's chief football officer, who is moving to a role in the United States.
Premier League's Carbon Footprint Concerns: The collapse of regional airline Eastern Airways has created a shortage of smaller charter planes for top-flight clubs. Some teams have reportedly been forced to use much larger, less fuel-efficient 180-seater aircraft for short trips, often flying with the majority of seats empty.
Journalist's Appetite Causes Stir: A unnamed football reporter has sparked a complaint after being repeatedly spotted taking excessive amounts of complimentary food from club media rooms, even stashing items like tea bags in their bag. The incident led to a request for their employer to send a different representative in future.
Leeds United's Stadium Spat Goes Public: A professional rivalry over the redesign of Elland Road has spilled onto LinkedIn. Architecture firm KSS, which did the initial design work, publicly called out rival firm BDP Patten and Leeds United for a press release that failed to credit their involvement. KSS chairman David Keirle commented pointedly on the social media post, which was later amended.
India Visa Issues Hit England Cricket: England's T20 World Cup preparations have been disrupted as frontline spinners Adil Rashid and Rehan Ahmed faced visa delays for travel to India, a recurring issue for those of Pakistani heritage. The political tensions between India and Pakistan are believed to be a factor, with some wondering if it could impact India's 2036 Olympic bid.
Pollution Fears in Delhi: Denmark's badminton star Anders Antonsen withdrew from the India Open for a third consecutive year, citing "extreme pollution" in Delhi—comments unlikely to help India's international sporting image.
