Emmanuel Petit joins Jamie Carragher and David Jones on Monday Night Football(Image: Sky Sports)

Sky Sports star forced to apologise after mistakenly announcing Arsenal icon's death

by · football.london

Former Arsenal midfielder Emmanuel Petit was forced into an apology on Monday night after declaring that legendary Gunner Pat Rice had died.

Petit appeared as a special guest on Sky Sports' Monday Night Football as he watched his old club Chelsea beat Wolverhampton Wanderers 3-1 at Stamford Bridge. Unlike most sports broadcasts, Monday Night Football gives their guests the opportunity to delve back into their careers alongside former Liverpool man Jamie Carragher.

During the evening, Rice came up in conversation with Petit remarking: "He had some fights with Pat Rice as well, rest in peace Pat." This quickly led host David Jones to clarify that 75-year-old Rice was still alive and well.

"I’ve got some good news, Pat Rice sends his best," the presenter explained. "He’s not actually no longer with us, he’s alive and kicking."

As Carragher giggled at the error, an apologetic Petit chimed in: "I’m sorry. Sorry Pat.

"I’m confused. I’m so sorry Pat. Pat, I made a mistake, sorry."

Arsene Wenger watches his first game in charge of Arsenal at Ewood Park (Image: Shaun Botterill/Allsport)

Northern Irishman Rice holds a fond place in the hearts of Gunners fans thanks to his legendary career in North London. He made a whopping 498 appearances for Arsenal between 1966 and 1980.

After leaving Highbury, Rice would spend four years and rack up 61 appearances for Watford before retiring. His love for the Gunners would return him to the club after his Watford stint, becoming U18s coach and caretaker manager before Arsene Wenger's arrival.

He would spend 16 years and 900 games as Wenger's assistant before retiring in 2012.

Join the football.london Arsenal WhatsApp channel

Join our Arsenal WhatsApp channel and get all the latest breaking news, opinion, podcasts and in-depth stories from football.london's dedicated Arsenal writers straight to your phone!

By following this free service you will be the first to know the news from the Emirates Stadium as it happens, when it happens.

To join our dedicated Arsenal channel, all you have to do is click this link and you can join thousands of others following our Gunners coverage!

If you're curious, you can check out our privacy policy here.