CBS Sports' on-air team has become a staple of UEFA Champions League nights for fans in the United States and beyond.
Kate Abdo hosts the broadcaster's coverage alongside expert pundits and former players Thierry Henry, Jamie Carragher and Micah Richards.
The quartet's easy chemistry on screen has produced countless viral moments enjoyed by fans around the world on social channels, while their analysis of key moments in Europe's top competition is lauded for its detailed insight.
However, during the coverage of Arsenal's Round of 16 clash with Porto on Tuesday, March 12, Carragher's comments made the laughter stop during an awkward on-air exchange, and the former England and Liverpool defender finds himself under scrutiny.
The Sporting News explains the controversy around Carragher's comments, which sparked widespread backlash on social media, and why the UK Sky Sports personality has previously been embroiled in a storm during his time as a broadcaster.
MORE: The CBS Champions League studio show considered soccer's best
What did Jamie Carragher say to Kate Abdo?
Arsenal great Henry, former Manchester City favourite Richards and Carragher all lean into their club allegiances, something that is a key part of the show's bantering appeal.
Richards has previously confessed he was an Arsenal fan as a child, so perhaps did not need too much persuading to don a replica shirt during CBS' coverage of a game that went to extra time and penalties before the Gunners prevailed.
After the match, Carragher was in the Arsenal jersey and told Henry he would "wear it next" before telling Abdo: "For the last part, you've got to wear it.
"No, I'm loyal, I'm loyal," the presenter replied, before Carragher shot back: "To who?"
"Manchester United, thank you very much," said Abdo, whose support of the Premier League club is common knowledge.
"Not to Malik," said Carragher, who appeared to look to Henry and Richards for their usual validatory laughs that were not forthcoming.
"What? Why would you even say that?" Abdo replied, before Carragher contested: "He's not even had a mention in the show."
Neither CBS nor Carragher responded publicly to Tuesday's controversy. When the usual panel returned to for Wednesday's show, Abdo moved to make light of the incident and move on with an intro to the show that looks set to become another viral clip.
Another HIT @kate_abdo intro 🥲❤️ pic.twitter.com/SeyhgMfeGU
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) March 13, 2024
Kate Abdo boyfriend: Who is Malik Scott?
The Malik in question is Malik Scott, the American former heavyweight boxer and current trainer of Deontay Wilder.
Abdo, a former Sky Sports presenter who also anchors DAZN's boxing coverage in the U.S., seemingly confirmed her relationship with Scott via a social media post of the pair in March 2024.
Her relationship status has been a source of gentle teasing from Richards and Carragher, the latter even asking "are we going to meet Malik?" during a recent broadcast.
Carragher's comments at Emirates Stadium, though, have been widely condemned as having crossed a line, even allowing for the freewheeling style that has made the foursome such a hit on the small screen.
"The freedom to be off-script, the freedom to be our authentic selves," Abdo told The Athletic this week when asked why the show works. "We're all very different personalities and bring different assets to the table. But I think as a whole, we all complete each other in some way.
"Working in television, it's such a source of frustration to me because so often you go into a show and have every single minute accounted for, knowing exactly what's going to happen over the next hour. It takes all the air out of the room for anything to happen spontaneously.
"We go into segments knowing that we have an overall vision for each segment, but if we go totally off that vision, that's okay. That freedom to me has been so precious because I have been part of things that are extremely rehearsed and not just the pre-produced elements being rehearsed, but also the conversations being rehearsed.
"I get it. Everyone wants to look polished and clean and glossy, and there's something to that. But you have to find that balance with also just being real and living in a moment."
MORE: Who is Kate Abdo? CBS soccer studio host earns rave reviews for Champions League coverage in USA
Jamie Carragher spitting incident
This is not the first time the 46-year-old has been in hot water during his broadcasting career.
In 2018, Carragher was suspended by Sky Sports for spitting in the direction of a 14-year-old girl after Liverpool lost to Manchester United.
A United fan driving with his daughter in the passenger seat pulled his car alongside Carragher's, filming as he drove, and put his window down to tease the ex-Liverpool star about the result.
Carragher then spat of of his window at the other car and the girl complained that it hit her. He later described the act as a "moment of madness" and continues to work as one of Sky's leading pundits alongside Gary Neville.
Jamie Carragher net worth
According to Celebrity Net Worth, Carragher's net worth as of March 2024 is approximately $21 million.
A report by Sport Bible in 2023 estimated Carragher earned £1 million ($1.28 million) annually for his Premier League coverage.
