BBC pundit Carlton Cole apologises after making ‘Holocaust’ comment live on air
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Former England striker Carlton Cole has apologised after using the word ‘holocaust’ to describe how West Ham could have fared against Manchester City in their Premier League clash on Sunday. Cole was previewing the fixture for Radio 5 Live.
West Ham were narrowly beaten by the Premier League champions but the 38-year-old predicted before the game that they could suffer an onslaught at the Etihad Stadium.
His former club had been in good form before the game despite last weekend’s small blip away at Wolves.
Cole was asked on the BBC show how he felt David Moyes’ side might bounce back against City.
“You’ve got to give Man City some respect,” he started. “Otherwise you’re going to get picked off and then it’s going to be a holocaust, and you don’t want that.”
Viewers were shocked that the comments were not immediately picked up by anyone else in the studio.
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Cole offered an apology later in the programme.
He said: “I’d just like to apologise to the listeners for a totally unacceptable phrase that I used earlier in the show.
“I’m sorry if I’ve offended anybody, really and truly. Sorry.”
BBC host Steve Crossman added: “I just want apologise on behalf of the programme for an unacceptable phrase that was used on air in the last half hour.
“It should not have been said and we’re very sorry for anyone who heard that and was upset by it.”
Cole is the latest member of the football community to apologise for casual references to the Holocaust, in which the Nazis killed around six million Jews between 1941-1945.
Former Man City midfielder Joey Barton used the word to analyse a performance by his Bristol Rovers side in their defeat by Burton Albion in October.
“Someone gets in and does well but then gets suspended or injured,” Barton said.
“Someone gets in for a game, does well but then has a Holocaust, a nightmare, an absolute disaster.”
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Barton apologised a week later: “I’m just going to say there were some comments made after the press conference last week where clearly no offence was meant, but some people have rightly pointed out to me the use of the analogy was not correct.
“The FA wrote to me this week to remind us of our language and communications, and the last thing you want to do is cause offence or upset anybody.
“So if anybody was offended by that, I would like to apologise for that and I think the FA were right to write to me and remind me of that.
“You hope to use better analogies in future, but it was certainly with no malice or offence intended to anybody.”
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