Rio Ferdinand has been branded a ‘disgrace’ after becoming embroiled in a fat-shaming row with a Manchester United content creator.
The Old Trafford legend told a male influencer, Saeed TV, to ‘pick up your t**s’ after the fan called on him to criticise the club’s ownership.
And the dig has become something of a PR disaster for the 47-year-old, who is now taking a lashing from fans in his own Instagram comments section – though some have sided with him.
Ferdinand had posted a picture of himself with Michael Carrick and quoted the manager, who said: ‘It is not about me. Manchester United is a lot bigger than any individual, bigger than me, bigger than any player and anyone else who works at the club.’
It is unclear why he shared this, but it could be a reference to the comments of Lisandro Martinez, who this week hit out at the club’s top brass and suggested their squad was too weak in an explosive interview.
But Saeed TV was frustrated at Ferdinand’s recent silence towards Sir Jim Ratcliffe and the Glazers, commenting: ‘Stop yapping and call out the owners!’
Rio Ferdinand is under fire after seemingly fat-shaming a content creator who criticised him
An influencer called Saeed TV had criticised Ferdinand for not being more vocal about the club’s ownership
Ferdinand suggested that Saeed was ‘out of breath typing’ and has sparked a huge reaction
In fairness to Ferdinand, while not as outspoken as the likes of Gary Neville, he has previously criticised the club’s ownership on select occasions.
And he hit back: ‘Stop yapping and pick up ya t**s, ya out a breath typing!’
Saeed has since shared a response video, saying in one section: ‘You are a grown man and this is the response you put on social media.
‘You have got kids watching you. You are a role model to so many around the world, and yet this is how you conduct yourself around the world. It’s absolutely embarrassing.
‘You’ve got people around you who respect you. What is there to respect when you’re speaking like this on social media?
‘It doesn’t affect me because I’ve been through a lot on social media and above all, I’ve been racially abused, so I’ve got thick skin.
‘For me to hold you accountable and for you to resort to that… it tells everything about you.’
He argued that Ferdinand is keeping quiet about United’s leadership to retain his access to the club.
The former England defender’s jibe has not gone down well on social media, with some followers condemning him.
‘Rio Ferdinand is an absolute disgrace. Imagine being SO blind that you have to resort to this type of nonsense,’ wrote one fan on X.
‘That’s wild man, very very low personal blow from Rio. Uncalled for,’ another said.
One said: ‘That’s poor from Rio.’
However, others felt that Saeed had been unnecessarily provocative after Ferdinand had merely shared a positive post.
‘He has told a club legend to stop yapping. Rio is not his friend nor his guy. Respect is given before it is requested,’ one said.
‘Can’t stand Rio, but if you’re gonna say “stop yapping” to a grown man, he’s well within his rights to insult him,’ another said.
‘He was disrespectful first so got disrespect back,’ one commented.
‘So Saeed is allowed to go at Rio all the time and he can’t hit back, understood,’ another said.
