Ian Wright admits doing the FA Cup semi-final draw was too ‘nerve-wracking’ and insists he’d never do it again… after getting ‘slaughtered’ by fans for his ‘Stevie Wonder’ impression
- Ian Wright made the draw for the FA Cup semi-final live on television on Sunday
- He made it clear that he didn’t look in the pocket and was ‘butchered’ by fans for it
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Arsenal legend Ian Wright has insisted he has no intention of ever making another FA Cup draw after being ‘butchered’ by fans this weekend.
Wright, 60, was tasked with making the FA Cup semi-final draw on Sunday, live on ITV, in the aftermath of Manchester United’s remarkable 4-3 win over Liverpool at Old Trafford.
He did it in his own unique style, deliberately looking away from the bag so he couldn’t see any of the balls as he pulled them out, causing fellow expert Roy Keane to chuckle in the background.
Reflecting on the draw, Wright admitted he felt the pressure of the situation, which left United, Manchester City, Chelsea and Championship outsiders Coventry City in the hat, and claimed he would not want to do the draw again after fans joked that he was imitating the blind musician Stevie Wonder.
“I can’t believe how many people went crazy over that!” Wright said on the Stick with the football podcast.
Ian Wright has claimed he found the FA Cup draw very ‘nerve-wracking’ and says he wouldn’t want to do it again
He deliberately looked away from the balls and recreated the moment on the Stick to Football podcast
He claimed he was ‘slaughtered’ by fans afterwards, joking that he had done a Stevie Wonder impression
‘There were only four balls in there and I think people were a bit angry because we didn’t know who was one, two, three and four. But most importantly, they are so strict about making sure we don’t look inside the bag, and making sure the bag is closed properly before you open it so you don’t look inside.
‘People ended up saying, “What’s he doing the Stevie Wonder for?!” I didn’t do Stevie Wonder; I just made sure not to look in (the bag). It looked like Stevie Wonder, but I didn’t want people to say the draw was wrong. People still slaughtered me, but I thought it was a great draw.”
He continued: ‘Don’t ask me to do it (the FA Cup draw) again! It’s nerve-wracking and if they ask me to do it again (I won’t). He (Roy Keane) had the lead role in the game.
‘Can you imagine if he had done it and Manchester United came out against Coventry?! I was neutral. I thought I was a really good neutral too.
‘I didn’t even know it at the time. I’d done Coventry and Man United, so we know what’s next, and I was so close to thinking ‘well, we know what’s next, what’s the point of signing them!’
Rod Stewart left fans in hysterics when he made a flying move to draw the balls in 2017
Stewart thoroughly enjoyed himself and later admitted he had a ‘few bevvies’ before going on live TV
Wright eventually completed the draw, confirming that current winners City will face Chelsea, while United will face Coventry.
He isn’t the first high-profile figure to cause a stir with his cup-draw technique, as iconic British musician Rod Stewart also left fans in hysterics during the Scottish Cup fifth round match in 2017.
Stewart made faces and dove in from above as he pulled the balls out in one of the most entertaining cup draws ever seen.
He later admitted he had a bit of a whining after claiming he had warned Sky he had ‘had a few drinks’ before going on live TV.
Ian Wright spoke on the Stick to Football podcast, brought to you by Sky bet
