Northern Irish footballer Conor Hazard was left laughing live on ITV after his teammate joked that he “hated him” when the pair played in Scotland.
The 26-year-old Plymouth Argyle keeper was interviewed alongside defender Nikola Katic in the wake of their historic 1-0 FA Cup win over Liverpool on Sunday.
As well as his joke about the pair’s time in the Scottish Old Firm, ITV presenter Mark Pougatch was also forced to apologise after Katic, who played for Rangers between 2018 and 2022, swore when asked about his thoughts following their win.
Interviewed standing alongside Hazard – who played for Celtic between 2017 and 2023 – Katic said he hated his former rival when he first moved to Plymouth.
“First when I came I hated him because he’s a Celtic guy and I’m a big Rangers guy but at the moment we are good and I like to play with him. He gave us this win today,” he said.
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Laughing as he was speaking, the Downpatrick man went on to praise his teammate.
“What a performance, he’s been instrumental since he’s come into our squad,” the goalkeeper said.
“He’s made such a massive difference and we’re lucky to have him.
“What an atmosphere. We didn’t expect that this morning, we knew it was going to be tough but the boys were brilliant today. Thank God for every single one of them.”
When asked about his own performance, the Northern Irishman added: “That’s my job, I’ve got to keep the ball out of the net the best I can. I’m delighted with that.”
Hazard joined Celtic from Cliftonville back in 2014 before spells out on loan at Falkirk, Partick Thistle, Dundee and a period at HJK Helsinki. He joined Plymouth in 2023 making 36 appearances so far.
Meanwhile, ITV were forced to apologise for what they described as “industrial language” after Nikola Katic’s emotions got the better of him when describing his feelings after the win.
Speaking to ITV’s Gabriel Clarke, Katic said: “F*****g hell, I f*****g love it.
“That’s why I came here. I remember when I came the first day with the new coach, energy and everything. It’s a beautiful day for everyone and it’s good to get the confidence from this but we have a hell of a job to work on in the future.”