Partner at London office of US firm latest to be caught out by YouTube and Twitter
A staunch Chelsea FC fan and top City lawyer has referred to Liverpool FC fans as “scouse scum” in a hot-tempered YouTube interview.
Clive O’Connell (pictured below), who is a partner in the London office of New York-based law firm Goldberg Segalla, also refers to Liverpool fans as “scum scouse idiots” and “nasty horrible people”, before writing on Twitter later: “crawl back to your horrible Merseyside home”.
O’Connell made the comments after Chelsea’s shock 3-1 defeat to Liverpool last weekend while he was being interviewed by YouTube football channel Neeks Sports.
According to O’Connell’s LinkedIn, he has been a partner at Goldberg Segalla for over three years, while also maintaining an non-executive position at London asset management firm Twelve Capital AG. Previously, O’Connell was at Clyde & Co legacy firm Barlow Lyde & Gilbert.
During the interview the City lawyer defends Chelsea’s colourful manager, Jose Mourinho, before losing his cool with the interviewer after he suggests that three-time European Cup winner Carlo Ancelotti could be an ideal replacement for the troubled Portuguese.
However instead of entering into an intelligent debate on the matter, the insurance specialist begins shouting, pointing his finger aggressively and even going as far as suggesting “the FA is led by a corrupt man”. No evidence is offered to support what appears to be a completely unsubstantiated allegation said in the heat of the moment.
The clip (embedded below) — which has so far clocked up over 46,000 views on YouTube — is made even more amusing by O’Connell’s unusual pronunciation of Mourinho, who he calls “Morino”.
Clearly still upset about the suggestion that Mourinho should go, the experienced lawyer — who is described as “one of the world’s leading insurance and reinsurance legal professionals” on his firm profile — continued his rant on his personal Twitter account.
O’Connell tweeted user @MourinhoOutClub, telling them to “crawl back to your horrible Merseyside home”. The tweet — screenshotted below — has since been deleted.
However, it isn’t just Liverpool fans that are on angry O’Connell’s radar. The top lawyer, who resides in affluent Islington, compared a recent trip to east London club West Ham to visiting “London Zoo”.
London Zoo. Eastern site.#cfc pic.twitter.com/VwNrftEJb0
— Clive O'Connell (@cliveoconnell) October 24, 2015
This afternoon O’Connell told Legal Cheek that he regretted the interview, commenting:
I have been a Chelsea supporter since I was a young child in the early 1960s and feel passionately about the team. I was very disappointed in the aftermath of Saturday’s game. I let my emotions get the better of me. I clearly regret this and any offence that I may have caused by my hotheaded and regrettable reaction, which was inappropriate whether or not caught on camera.
Regarding the tweet, he added:
The tweet was a response to a Chelsea supporter. I was questioning whether he actually supported Chelsea or another team.
Meanwhile, Goldberg Segalla has provided us with this comment via Daniel Gerber, the US-based chair of its global insurance services group:
The firm is aware of comments made by one of our partners, Clive O’Connell, after Saturday’s Chelsea-Liverpool match. We have always known Clive to be a caring colleague and consummate gentleman which is why we were very surprised to learn of his comments on Saturday. We recognize the passion that football supporters have for their respective clubs, especially matches involving longtime rivals. Our firm’s culture is one of inclusion and mutual respect. Our firm has employees who support many clubs, including several who support Liverpool. Clive recognizes that his passion got the best of him and he is deeply remorseful for any offense and distraction his comments caused.