Match of the Day pundit Troy Deeney incredibly DEFENDS Man United fans’ vile chants about Phil Foden’s mum – and FA chiefs WON’T take action

Former Premier League star and Match of the Day pundit Troy Deeney has controversially downplayed the vile abuse directed towards Phil Foden during Sunday’s Manchester derby.

Several Manchester United supporters disgracefully targeted the Man City star with sick chants about his mother during the limp 0-0 draw, before he was substituted in the 58th minute at Old Trafford.

Foden’s mother Claire Rowlands, 44, was labelled a ‘s**g’ by a sizeable section of the home support — which prompted the England international to react a series of sarcastic gestures during the game.

In a video shared to social media platform TikTok on Sunday, Foden was captured ironically clapping the supporters and giving them a thumbs up while inside Manchester United’s penalty area, before defiantly gesturing for them to continue.

After the match, the footballer took to Instagram to deliver a three-word message – ‘we keep going’ – as he refused to get dragged in to the shocking abuse. 

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola told United fans they should be ‘ashamed’ of themselves for targeting Foden, while City are understood to be shocked and disgusted by how many Red Devils supporters were involved.

But Deeney, who regularly works as a pundit on BBC’s flagship football show Match of the Day and was on MOTD2 with Mark Chapman and Shay Given on Sunday night, sensationally appeared to defend the Manchester United fans who abused Foden, claiming it is merely ‘part of football’.

Urging that the abusive chants have been blown out of proportion, the former Watford star said on talkSPORT: ‘[It is] part of the game, unfortunately.

‘It is what it is, I’ve heard people say things about my kids, wife… you name it. 

‘Look, I take Pep’s point – it is a reflection on society…. everyone’s relatively glass houses they like to look out and point and say, “you’re rubbish, this and that”. 

‘But I also think as well, it’s a derby, people are emotional… you talk about someone’s mum so you never want it to be that. 

‘It’s just part of football. This, in my opinion, is a bigger story than it needs to be. 

‘Watching the game, I didn’t hear it. [On] Match of the day we didn’t do anything on it, unfortunately, it’s the ugly side of this football game.

‘There’s an old saying many many years ago that Gianfranco Zola told me and it was “We’re paid to have no feelings”.’

His comments differed entirely to the view of Guardiola, who leapt to the defence of his star man following the horrendous scenes at Old Trafford.

‘It’s a lack of class,’ said the Spaniard after Sunday’s game. ‘But it’s not United, it’s the people, you know? We are so exposed, people who are on the screen in world football: managers, owners, and football players especially.

‘Honestly, I don’t understand the mind of the people involving the mum of Phil. It’s a lack of integrity, class, and they should be ashamed.’

The City boss, however, rejected any suggestions Foden is low on confidence and has backed him to discover the form that has helped lead his side to six league titles. 

‘When the team is not playing at the level that we had, it looks like everyone is not what they were,’ the Spaniard added. ‘I see the passion and smile on his face every day in training and that is what I want.

‘You see the numbers of players who have been four, five, six years. This year we drop and it’s all of them – that’s why we are struggling to win but the quality is there.

‘He won the Premier League in the last games (last year), in the game against West Ham with two goals. His impact was incredible and he will be back.’

Despite Guardiola’s fury, the FA won’t take any action over the abusive chants aimed at Foden’s mother during the derby.

Although the FA are aware of the abuse and condemn the behaviour of United supporters in Sunday’s goalless draw, Mail Sport understands that it doesn’t breach their regulations.

The FA have cracked down on tragedy chanting and discriminatory behaviour such as homophobic or racist abuse in recent years, and rule E20.1 states that clubs must ensure that their ‘directors, players, officials, employees, servants and representatives do not behave in a way which is improper, offensive, violent, threatening, abusive, indecent, insulting or provocative’. 

However, it’s understood that this would not apply to the chants aimed at Foden and his family by United fans. 

United sources said they condemn abusive chants against all players. 

Deeney himself was subjected to a torrent of abhorrent abuse during his playing career, having played most prominently for Watford in the Premier League.

The English forward, who made over 400 appearances for the Hornets during an 11-year spell at Vicarage Road, moved to Birmingham City in 2021 and later Forest Green Rovers in 2023.

Last January, during his short stint as Forest Green Rovers manager, Deeney opened up on the horrific racist abuse he received from football fans after ranting about their being ‘too many babies’ in his squad.

The 36-year-old, who later apologised for his comment and admitted emotions got the better of him, shared a message he received on Instagram from a fan, which read read: ‘Dumb n****, f***** idiot shut ya mouth kiddddd’.  

As part of his Instagram story where he shared the messaged, Deeney simply responded: ‘Here we go again’.

In 2020, when Deeney was Watford captain, the former forward was forced to read sick messages wishing his baby son caught coronavirus during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Deeney was concerned of potentially passing the virus on to his five-month-old son, who had breathing difficulties, after Premier League clubs returned to training during lockdown. 

‘I saw some comments in regards to my son, people saying: “I hope your son gets corona,”‘ Deeney told CNN Sport in 2020. ‘That’s the hard part for me. If you respond to that, people then go: “Ah, we’ve got him” and they keep doing it. 

‘In a time where it’s all about mental health and everyone says “speak up, speak out, please speak”, Danny Rose spoke out and I spoke out and we just get absolutely hammered and battered for it. 

‘So people see that and go “woah” and it’s not just us that gets it, the missus gets direct messages and you’ll be walking down the street and people will be like: “Oh, I’m at work, you go back to work”.’