"You can't do that!" - Rio Ferdinand refuses to disrespect Real Madrid in front of BT Sport cameras
Rio Ferdinand asked the BT Sport production team to make a swift change to the Bernabeu set as they prepared to go live on TV.
The former Manchester United defender joined Jake Humphrey, Joe Cole and Glenn Hoddle on punditry duty ahead of Wednesday night's Champions League quarter-final clash between Real Madrid and Chelsea.
But before the cameras went live, a switched on Ferdinand made sure there were no signs of disrespect during their coverage.
The 44-year-old posted a video on his Twitter account explaining that the so-called 'floor manager' had placed their table directly in front of the Real Madrid logo on the hallowed Bernabeu turf.
In the clip above, Ferdinand began: “I think we need to have a conversation here Coley…what are they asking us to do mate?”
Former Chelsea winger Joe Cole then stopped himself from walking towards Ferdinand before the former centre-back chipped in: “They’re asking us to stand on the Real Madrid badge. You can’t do that man!"
Ferdinand added as he pointed at the BT Sport table in front of the badge: “This is where we meant to stand. We need to speak to the floor manager and have a word, we can’t do that. We’re going to roll it up so we don’t stand on the badge.”
Cole soon quipped that he didn't want to "poke the bear” with any signs of disrespect ahead of kick-off. “You don’t poke the bear, this guy is right. He’s scared,” Ferdinand laughed.
Team logos printed on carpets have become a real talking point in the past week.
Joao Cancelo showed his respect to parent club Manchester City ahead of kick-off on Tuesday night when he avoided standing on the club crest.
UEFA cameras caught the Portuguese defender, who is currently on loan at Bayern Munich from City, arriving at the Etihad and heading into the stadium.
The video showed Cancelo going out of his way to not step on the emblem, although some fans were puzzled.
One said: “There is absolutely nothing disrespectful about walking over a badge in the carpet ffs.”
Another wrote: “If you think it's disrespectful to step on your logo, don't put it on the ground and dont make it take up 80 per cent of the width.”
Respect 👊#UCL pic.twitter.com/vmWSVEudEL
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) April 11, 2023
Going back to Wednesday's fixture and during the pre-match coverage on BT Sport, Ferdinand said interim manager Frank Lampard would not get the Chelsea role on a permanent basis, even if his side lift the Champions League this season.
"Speaking to Frank and knowing him like I do, this is where he wants to be," Ferdinand said.
"He wants to be managing and in the dugout dictating things from there. He was obviously a great player but he'll want to replicate that as a manager.
"He's got a great opportunity now with what can happen these next games [against Real Madrid] and the end of the season.
"He can either come back and stand with us because he hasn't done well enough, or he bounces into another job because he's done so well at Chelsea. It's a fantastic opportunity for him."
Fellow BT Sport pundit Glenn Hoddle then asked what would happen if Lampard won the Champions League.
"He won't get the job," Ferdinand replied. "I don't think he'll get the job.
Henry
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