Emmanuel Petit mourns death of Arsenal legend… who is still alive
An unusual moment occurred during the broadcast on English television
Former Arsenal and Chelsea midfielder Emmanuel Petit had an embarrassing moment live on English television. The Frenchman was invited to commentate on the game between Chelsea and Wolverhampton on Monday on Sky Sports.
Petit also had the opportunity to reminisce about his time at London rivals Arsenal in conversation with Jamie Carragher. When recalling his time at Highbury, Petit made reference to Arsenal icon Pat Rice, the former defender and manager of the London club, and wished him “to rest in peace”, suggesting that Pat had already passed away. However, this is not true.
Petit was corrected moments later by presenter David Jones: “I have good news, Pat Rice sends his regards. In fact, he is among us and he is very much alive.”
The correction drew laughter from studio colleague Jamie Carragher and an immediate apology from Petit, “I’m sorry! I’m sorry, Pat. I’m confused. I’m so sorry, Pat. I made a mistake, I’m sorry.”
Rice is a legendary figure at Arsenal . He made his debut in 1967 and made over 500 appearances for the club during a 13-year career. He returned in 1984 as a youth coach and eventually took charge of the first team in a caretaker capacity, and was also appointed assistant to Arsène Wenger, where he met Petit. He eventually left the club for a second time in 2012 and was hailed by Wenger for his brilliant contribution to the club.
