Video: Alan Pardew's post-match press conference interrupted by Ebola warning message prompting hilarious reaction
Newcastle manager was smiling from ear-to-ear until a strange message describing the symptoms of Ebola began playing out on the Etihad Stadium tannoy
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Your support makes all the difference.Alan Pardew had the smile wiped off his face last night in the unlikeliest of fashions following Newcastle’s 2-0 win over Manchester City in the League Cup quarter-final, after an Ebola warning message interrupted his post-match press conference at the Etihad Stadium.
Pardew was visibly gleaming after knocking the defending champions out of the competition, but when the Magpies manager was giving his assessment of the performance that saw Newcastle win their third match in a row, he was rudely interrupted by the message over the tannoy system.
A male voice starting reeling off the symptoms of the disease that is currently devastating West Africa, but Pardew took the interruption in good humour – unsurprising given the victory just minutes before.
“Manchester City are doing this on purpose because we won, right?” joked Pardew.
Quickly enough, normal service was resumed and the journalists in attendance restarted quizzing the 53-year-old. However, the announcement soon returned prompting laughter to break out among those in the room.
The second announcement sounded: “If you think you have had intimate sexual relations (with a sufferer of Ebola)?”
Watch Pardew's reaction below:
Pardew quickly composed himself after laughing off the final interruption to praise his sides discipline in executing a desired style of play that Pardew believed would result in victory. He also rejected the claim that the six changes made to the side that beat Tottenham at the weekend meant that they didn’t believe they good triumph in Manchester.
“We didn’t come not to win,” answered. “We had a game-plan and the players executed that. They were outstanding in their discipline and the way they carried the threat all night.
“I was impressed with our younger players especially, and that bodes well going forward.
“We just needed some belief and we’ve got that now after three victories.”
Newcastle were coincidentally drawn in the quarter-finals against Spurs, the side they beat 2-1 at White Hart Lane on Sunday, and Pardew revealed that he half expected it given the weekend encounter.
“I suspected it would be us after the weekend, it was ironic,” added Pardew. “It will be difficult because they’ll be out for revenge. But we’ve won the last two times we’ve been there.”
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