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20th Jun 2017

Rio Ferdinand threatens to release CCTV footage after Robbie Savage describes tunnel bust-up

A boot up the bum and it all kicked off

Darragh Murphy

In case you didn’t know, Robbie Savage’s podcast is well worth subscribing to.

You might not be the biggest fan of the outspoken Welshman but his regular chats with fellow hosts, Freddie Flintoff and Matthew Syed, so often result in audio gold.

Savage has countless stories from his days as a player and he re-told a fantastic one on the most recent episode of Flintoff, Savage and the Ping Pong Guy.

You might remember the incident in question.

It took place in January, 2006 when Manchester United hosted Blackburn in the Carling Cup semi-final second leg.

Savage and United legend, Rio Ferdinand, might be friends now but that wasn’t always the case and the pair infamously clashed in the Old Trafford tunnel at half-time.

“We hated each other because we had a fight in the Old Trafford tunnel,” Savage explained.

“Semi-final of the Cup. It was 1-1. I think we had drawn 1-1 at Ewood Park and it was the second leg at Old Trafford.

“United had just scored a penalty and he (Ferdinand) ran past me to go down the tunnel in the corner at half-time and he nudged me so I chased him.

“I got into the tunnel and booted him up the backside, leathered him up the backside.

“And then, all of a sudden, he’s come for me and clipped me around the head with a right swinger.

“A few other people got involved then and then the security men arrived. It all kicked off!

“We went in at half-time, sat down. We hated each other but now we’re quite good friends.”

In promoting the podcast on Twitter, Savage tagged his good mate and explained how he’d detailed “what really happened in the tunnel,” while on the air.

Suffice to say that it’s not quite how Ferdinand saw the incident.

The former United centre-half responded by threatening to release CCTV footage of the incident in order to clear matters up for once and for all.

Considering McGregor vs. Mayweather is going to rake in hundreds of millions, surely you’d pay a few quid to see Ferdinand vs. Savage, even if it did happen over a decade ago.