Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher is no stranger to controversy—whether it be his relationship with Mohamed Salah or Messi calling him a donkey in his DMs.
This time, however, the court of public opinion is holding him accountable for what some are calling throwaway racism.
Carragher, along with Paul Scholes, was hosting an episode of Overlap—a show where fans of different clubs interact and debate with featured pundits.
During the show, a fan brought up a valid comparison between Lewis Skelly’s celebration against Haaland and City and Neal Maupay’s darts celebration against Maddison and Spurs.
About a year ago in the Premier League, Neal Maupay mocked Maddison by replicating his famous darts celebration after scoring a goal for Brentford against Spurs.
As we all know, Lewis Skelly did something very similar against City.
The fan’s point was simple: why was the scrutiny so different in both cases?
Where Myles Lewis Skelly was subjected to criticism and heat from social media and football personalities, no issue was made when Neil Maupay did the same.
When asked about this discrimination, Scholes and Carragher shushed it away as Maupay was simply messing around.
This has led many fans to believe that the difference in scrutiny has deeper roots in racism.
Several took to X to voice similar concerns.
Adding fuel to the fire, the Premier League has stated that it could issue punishments if a celebration is deemed excessive or mocking in nature.
All this controversy when a black player does it, yet nothing of equal measure when a white footballer is involved—that has been the rallying cry on X.
On the other hand, offering a counterpoint, one user on X suggested that the difference in reaction might not be about race but rather about the players’ respective statuses.
Maupay and Maddison are both experienced pros at a similar skill level, whereas Lewis Skelly is a rookie going up against a world-class player like Haaland.
So perhaps the scrutiny stems from differing footballing levels rather than racial bias.
What do you think about this matter?
