Former Man Utd supervisor tried to elucidate vile stay TV slur that ended his profession as pundit
Former Manchester United manager Ron Atkinson lost his punditry career after using a terrible slur on live TV about ex-Chelsea and France defender Marcel Desailly
Former Manchester United manager Ron Atkinson lost his punditry career after using a vile racial slur.
‘Big Ron’, who twice won the FA Cup during his five-year tenure at Old Trafford, soiled his reputation after he used a derogatory term against former Chelsea and France defender Marcel Desailly.
Following the end of his management days, that saw him take charge of Atletico Madrid and Aston Villa, among many clubs, Atkinson, who turned 85 on Tuesday (March 18), attempted to forge a path into punditry, hoping to add his managerial and tactical insight.
But his punditry career was ended when he made a racist remark during a Chelsea vs Monaco match in 2004. During the broadcast he used the N-word to describe French defender Marcel Desailly – believing he was off-air at the time – and called him “lazy” and “thick”.
In the aftermath of the backlash, Atkinson said: “To the people I offended, particularly Marcel Desailly, I would apologise for the comments I made.
“It was not an intentional comment, but it was an unfortunate one. I did not even know I had said it.
“I have worked with more black players, I would think, than any other manager in the country and I bet none of them has ever heard me say it to them.”
In his autobiography The Manager, Atkinson accepted the comment was “idiotic, stupid and offensive”. The pundit said he thought he was speaking off air but his microphone was still switched on as millions heard the slur around the world, and he offered his resignation to ITV the next day.
Previously reflecting on the incident, Atkinson said: “It was idiotic, stupid and offensive and I should never have said it. To this day I cannot believe I did.
“The one thing I can say in my defence was that I was quoting a phrase that at least two managers I knew had used.”
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