CBS’ UEFA Champions League Today crew is known for its on-air chemistry. But following Arsenal’s victory over Porto via penalty kicks in the round of 16 on Tuesday, the conversation got a bit awkward as Jamie Carragher made a joke about Kate Abdo’s relationship with her boyfriend.
First, some backstory.
During a postgame interview with Bukayo Saka, the Arsenal star forward urged Carragher — a former Liverpool defender — to wear a Gunners shirt. While Carragher obliged, he later requested that co-hosts Micah Richards and Abdo take their own turns wearing the jersey, to which Abdo declined, citing her personal allegiances to rival Manchester United.
“I’m loyal,” Abdo proclaimed.
“To who?” Carragher asked.
“Manchester United, thank you very much,” Abdo replied.
“Not to Malik,” Carragher responded.
For the uninitiated, “Malik” is Abdo’s boyfriend, former professional boxer Malik Scott, who is now the trainer for former WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder. The jab drew a stunned reaction from Abdo, who replied with an exasperated, “What? Why would you even say that?” as Carragher proceeded to laugh before noting that she had yet to mention Scott during the show.
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To be clear, there’s no reason to think that this is a matter of anything other some friendly banter going too far. And it’s also worth noting that Abdo’s relationship with Scott has received plenty of attention in recent weeks after the two went “Instagram official,” which resulted in a humorous reaction from fellow co-host Thierry Henry, who has often been accused of having a crush on Abdo.
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As Abdo even states in the clip above, the members of the CBS crew — and Carragher, in particular — have no problem teasing each other, even about their personal lives. Still, it was understandably a bit jarring for most to hear a broadcaster publicly accuse his colleague of being disloyal to her boyfriend during a broadcast.
For Carragher’s sake, hopefully Abdo’s professional boxer of a boyfriend took the comment in the spirit in which it was seemingly intended.
Update: Abdo seemed to push back on Carragher a bit in her intro to the UCL Today show Wednesday with her comments on each of the panelists:
“Then there’s the middle child, Jamie Carragher. Chip on his shoulder, capable of saying anything for attention. Does he go too far sometimes? Absolutely. Does he apologize? Yes, he does. But all of us have that one annoying family member that we still love and accept.”
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.