Comedian Ricky Gervais has taken a playful swipe at Roy Keane following the football pundit's recent heated confrontation with a fan at Ipswich Town.
Responding to his appearance on the Stick to Football podcast, which features Keane as a regular pundit, Gervais quipped on social media: "I'm just glad Roy didn't want to chat to me in the car park."
The witty remark referenced Sunday's incident at Portman Road, where Keane was filmed offering to continue a dispute with an Ipswich supporter in the stadium car park.
The confrontation occurred during an ad-break on Sky Sports' Super Sunday coverage of Manchester United's 1-1 draw with Ipswich.
Ricky Gervais met Roy Keane on The Overlap before his funny social media post
The Overlap
Keane, who managed Ipswich between 2009 and 2011, was seen putting down his microphone and approaching a supporter who had been goading him.
According to fan Neil Finbow, who claimed responsibility for the incident on social media, he had criticised Keane's managerial tenure at Ipswich, suggesting the Irishman had "set us back five years."
The heated exchange was captured on video, with Keane repeatedly telling the fan to "wait and discuss it in the car park."
Gervais's appearance on the Stick to Football podcast marked an unusual departure from the show's typical guest lineup of former footballers and pundits.
The creator of The Office and After Life joined the Overlap squad for their iconic football podcast, brought to you by Sky Bet.
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Jamie Carragher highlighted the comedian's enthusiasm by retweeting the guest announcement with the caption: "Bloody loves football," a quote from the show.
During his podcast appearance, Gervais revealed how he rediscovered his passion for football during the COVID lockdown.
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Roy Keane confronted one abusive fan at Portman Road on Sunday
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"I got back into it in COVID during lockdown, when they were doing those games with no crowd," the comedian explained.
He credited the documentary 'Sunderland 'Til I Die' for reigniting his interest in the sport.
"I loved that show – the fact that it was like a religion to them. The whole community was involved," Gervais said, adding that he went on to watch documentaries about Manchester City, Leeds and Mikel Arteta.
I’m just glad Roy didn’t want to chat to me in the car park.
— Ricky Gervais (@rickygervais) November 27, 2024
Sky Sports has confirmed they will not increase security measures for their pundits following Keane's altercation.
The broadcaster conducts risk assessments for each fixture, with security staff accompanying pundits through public areas only for high-risk matches.
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Sky Sports have stood by Roy Keane over the incident
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Sky Sports spoke with Keane after the incident and gathered accounts from fellow pundits Jamie Redknapp, Kelly Cates and Izzy Christiansen.
Witnesses reported that Keane had faced "ongoing abuse" from a pocket of home fans which "consistently overstepped the mark."
