Ed Sheeran has apologized to latest Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim for interrupting his post-match interview following Sunday's draw at Ipswich Town.
Sheeran, 33, said he had gone to greet Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp and was unaware on the time that Amorim was being interviewed when the British broadcaster approached him on the sidelines in the midst of the United head coach's discussion.
The singer-songwriter is a sponsor and minority shareholder in his hometown club Ipswich and celebrated the promoted team's 1-1 draw against United.
After the incident, he was criticized on social media but issued an announcement saying it was an accident.
“I'm sorry if I offended Amorim yesterday because I didn't actually know he was being interviewed at the time and only came by to say goodbye to Jamie,” Sheeran wrote on social media. “Obvz feels a bit shitty but life goes on. Great game, congratulations to everyone involved x”.
What happened?
(Richard Pelham/Getty Images)
After overseeing a 1-1 attract his first game as manager, Amorim gave his first interview as Manchester United head coach to the Premier League's important British broadcaster, Sky Sports, after the sport.
The 39-year-old was asked by pundit Izzy Christiansen what impressed him most about his latest players in training before Sunday's game and what he desired to take from the sport.
Amorim replied: “You start to discover things: Garnacho can keep the ball between the lines. You can tell that in the game because the game is always open. They try to find these things. Bruno Fernandes, he improved his game by playing close to the ball and feeling the ball. He can sometimes give us the long pass. But you can't put him there all the time because he wants the long pass.
He concluded: “We are trying to find out something about the players. We will need a lot of time, a lot of time, to sort these things out.”
As presenter Kelly Cates began asking the subsequent query, the camera panned to Sheeran, who greeted Redknapp.
“Ed Sheeran joined us,” Cates said. “Ed, we’re just talking to Ruben Amorim, who might not want to talk to an Ipswich fan.”
“I don’t think he wants to talk to me. He doesn’t want to talk to me,” Sheeran said.
Ed Sheeran crashed Ruben Amorim's first post-match interview 😂 pic.twitter.com/cTSMgyTE8w
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) November 24, 2024
Cates tried to maintain Sheeran's performance short and sweet, saying: “From an Ipswich perspective was it almost perfect?”
“I loved it, I love being back in the Premier League,” Sheeran replied.
Redknapp then promised to talk to Sheeran later, who left the pitchside desk and disappeared out of sight.
“Thank you very much, Ed. Ruben, it’s unpredictable when we’re on the pitch,” explained Cates before continuing the post-match interview.
Sheeran was subsequently called “rude” and “disrespectful” on social media, and Sky was also criticized following the incident.
Why was Sheeran at the sport?
Sheeran grew up in Suffolk and has been an Ipswich fan since childhood. He has been the club's shirt sponsor for the reason that 2021/22 season, with the club playing in the primary division. This was welcomed by fans because the club was previously sponsored by gambling company Magical Vegas and former owner Marcus Evans.
Since then, Ipswich enjoyed back-to-back promotions under Kieran McKenna and secured a return to the Premier League in May after a 22-year absence.
Sheeran designed the club's third kit for the 2021–22 season and appeared in that season's promotional video for the third kit.
In August, it was announced that the four-time Grammy winner had purchased a minority stake within the club and he’s repeatedly pictured at games.
“I have lived in Suffolk since I was three years old and although I travel around the world and sometimes feel like an outsider in big cities, Suffolk and Ipswich have always made me feel part of the community and protected” said Sheeran this summer.
TNT Sports screened an interview with Sheeran and Peter Crouch ahead of Ipswich's opening game of the Premier League season against Liverpool, and he was pictured welcoming the Sky Sports pundit team into the studio ahead of Sunday's game against United.
Ipswich have just won one in all their first 12 games and are among the many favorites to avoid relegation this season, but had to return from behind inside the first two minutes to secure a 1-1 draw against United.
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