Ian Wright engaged in a good-natured argument with the Carabao Cup final officiating team before kick-off at Wembley, with Sky Sports microphones picking up the exchange. The Arsenal legend was heard shouting, 'What are you talking about?! We're not in your way, we're not in your way,' as the referees warmed up on the pitch.
Sky Sports host Mark Chapman explained to viewers that Wright and the panel had moved to the centre of the pitch for an interview, inadvertently disrupting the referees' warm-up. 'We've moved on to the middle of the pitch where Ian's just having an argument with the refereeing team about whether we're in the middle of their warm-up or not,' Chapman said, laughing.
The refereeing team, led by Peter Bankes, included assistants Neil Davies and Steve Meredith, fourth official Tom Bramall, and reserve assistant Marc Perry. The lighthearted spat did not disrupt coverage, and the officials soon jogged off to continue their preparations.
Wright later discussed Arsenal's prospects, saying the team is focused on the next game and not getting carried away with dreams of a quadruple. 'This doesn't affect the project if Arsenal lose today. The main thing is winning the Premier League, but this would be the icing on the cake,' he added.
