Piers Morgan Uncensored - Piers Morgan Uncensored: World Cup Special

Episode Date: November 28, 2022

On tonight's special edition of Piers Morgan Uncensored, Piers is live from Qatar where Piers describes his experience of being in Doha during the World Cup. Richard Keys and Andy Gray give their first interview in a decade, and Piers speaks to World Cup boss Hassan Al-Thawadi about recent controversies. Watch Piers Morgan Uncensored at 8 pm on TalkTV on Sky 522, Virgin Media 606, Freeview 237 and Freesat 217. Listen on DAB+ and the app.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Good evening and welcome to a special edition of Peers Morgan Uncensored, live from Doha in Qatar, the home, of course, of the World Cup. And tonight, I'll be talking exclusively to the World Cup chief Hassan Al Thawadi, who answers the critics. Is it safe for gay people to be in Qatar now? It's safe for everybody to be in Qatar. Yes. Unequivocally, Pierce, yes.

And they were the two most famous people in British football, Richard Keyes and Andy Gray, were the dominant frontmen. for Sky's coverage of the Premier League. But then it all came crashing down in a sexism scandal. They now live here and work here in Doha. And tonight, they give me their first ever exclusive interview since it all went down. I suddenly found myself in a really dark place.

The house surrounded by people. And I knew I had done something wrong. Of course I did. But I couldn't compute it. And my head was. gone. Live from Qatar, this is Pierce Morgan Unsensored at the World Cup. Well, good evening for the World Cup in Qatar.

Welcome to Pierce Morgan Unsensored. A competition that began in a blaze of hypocritical sanctimony has become what it always should have been. A feast of great football with unpredictable results, unforgettable drama, and a billion eyeballs glued to the biggest sporting event on the planet. That's how it should be. For the past few weeks, it's been a uniquely negative narrative about, this World Cup, driven, I have to say, mostly from England.

Here in Doha, reality feels very different. I've been here for a few days now and found a thriving, cosmopolitan sportsman city and a stunning vantage point for a tournament played out in magnificent purpose-built stadiums that are filling up more with every game. I've got to say the conversation in Qatar is less about rainbow bucket hats and arm pads and more about the football. Why is Gary Southgate living Phil Foden on the bench? Can anyone stop Killian Mbapé?

How badly injured is Namar? Could Ronaldo or Messi's last World Cups end in the biggest trophy of all? And of course, is it coming home? Spoiler alert, probably not. From here in Qatar, the tournament bears no resemblance to all the doom-mongering headlines back home. Fans from across the world are safe and mingling happily.

The stadiums are not selling beer, but those who want to drink alcohol can do so all over the city. There's no sign of the shameful booze-fueled scenes of our own Euro's final at Wembley. Now, of course, Qatar is not without fault. Women's rights and gay rights are restricted by Western standards. Migrant workers have indisputably been treated badly. But those statements apply to many of the countries around the world,

including many competing in this tournament and by many nations who've hosted major sporting events without anything like the Furorei that's kicked off about Qatar. We seem to have forgotten in England that in 1966, when we hosted and won the World Cup, it was illegal to be gay in our country. Moral halos appear to have slipped over some people's eyes and obscured some rather salient facts.

For example, there's 12% of the population here are native Qataris, something we in the supposedly sophisticated West would never tolerate. The migrants who come here in vast numbers are sometimes mistreated. But the reason they're here in the first place is because the wages they earn are life-changing.

And the global scrutiny of the World Cup has at least led to reforming in labor laws here. That will be an important legacy and one massively lacking after two Olympic games in China and a World Cup in Russia. Qatar is also a significant investor

in many aspects of UK life. For example, it gives us 25% of our gas, which is food for thought, isn't it? As our national grid considers winter blackouts, would all the virtue signalers back home prefer we tell Qatar to stop sending its gas? This tournament's brought the football mad Middle East together, together as well two years ago. Qatar was under a blockade led by Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the UAE.

Now fans from those countries are pouring in to enjoy the football. Saudi's crown prince was at the opening ceremony. The Emir of Qatar even waved a Saudi flag during their stunning win over Messi's Argentina. There's no denying the Middle East has a long way to go on human rights and many social issues, but so frankly to a lot of European countries. There's also no denying that this region, the Middle East, has long deserved its World Cup. there's no denying, and I can tell you, this is what most people here are thinking, that right now, Qatar's putting on a pretty good show. And frankly, when it comes to morality,

are we in England really in any position to lecture the Middle East about laws or values, given the way we illegally invaded Iraq 20 years ago, sparking two decades of ISIS terror, and at last year's Euro's final, showed the world that were a bunch of coke-snorting, boo-soffin, brawling, firework exploding from backside imbeciles. Methinks not. Well, Hassan Al Thawadi is the Secretary General of the Supreme Committee for Delivery Legacy,

which is a fancy title for he pretty well runs the World Cup here in Qatar. He's the man of the helm of the most controversial tournament in World Cup history for reasons that frankly bafflement. And he spoke to me a little earlier today. I began by asking how he felt about Qatar hosted the tournament and how he thought he was going. We're immensely proud of the World Cup as, you know, and everything that's been unfolded since the 20th of November. It's a moment of great pride. I mean, you know, just if you look at what's happening on the streets,

people from all over the world coming in, celebrating. The story is unfolding in the pitch, the stadiums, from a footballing perspective. Phenomenal, great. Well, Saudi Arabia beating Argentina. Saudi Arabia being Argentina. Really set the tone for the region, right? Well, absolutely.

I mean, you know, and then Morocco just recently beating Belgium yesterday. I mean, that in itself is a phenomenal story as well. This is the First World Cup in the Arab World. This is the First World Cup in the Middle East, in the Islamic World. You see it not only in terms of the teams participating, but you see it in the stadiums. I mean, I was seeing some of the Punditri where you had the fans. It was predominantly red, Moroccan supporters. And it's not just Moroccan's flying over here.

It's supporters of the Moroccan national team from the Arab population, living in Qatar, visiting Qatar, Saudi supporters were supporting Morocco, Morocco, Moroccan supporters who are supporting Saudi and Tunisia and so on. You know, for our part of the world, for our region, this is, you know, I have to say, you know, as Qataris, as Arabs, we're extremely proud of this moment. How have you reacted as a senior Qatari, one of the real key people in this world come, particularly from the criticism from the UK, for example? I think, you know, from day one, what we try to do is distinguish between two forms of criticism.

There's constructive criticism that we've taken on board. We've engaged with, we've talked to our critics who had a genuine interest in terms of progress or working with us towards utilizing this tournament as a transformational vehicle for Qatar and for the region. And as I said, we've engaged with them, we've discussed things with them, and they've become partners in the end. And then there's, of course, criticism that I think is based on misinformation, misrepresented facts, misstated facts, and even towards

whether it's media outlets or individuals, we've also reached out and tried to engage, and tried to set the facts straight. And some, unfortunately, have not been as receptive of our efforts, but nevertheless, we've always said one thing, the most important element is our response is always going to be by actions, as opposed to words. But Gary Deneke who fronts the BBC coverage,

is a friend of mine, full disclosure. big fan of his work over the years, both on the pitch and off. But he did a sort of monologue at the start of the BBC's coverage, pointing out all the bad things about Qatar. And all I felt was he didn't do that at the Russia World Cup. They didn't run your opening ceremony this time, the BBC on the main channel. They did in Russia. They ran it, for example, with the China Olympics at Beijing Winter Olympics.

It seems to me to be a bit of a double standard there. Well, it's disappointing, you know, for an institution such as the BBC. BBC, especially, you know, in particular BBC sports, in an institution that was always known, or at least, as I grew up, was always known to be, you know, objective in stating the facts and allowing for, you know, different points of view to be addressed and for the audience to make their own decision for the actions that you've mentioned. For example, you know, and again, in particular with Gary, the frustration is that we've reached out to him. We've reached out to many times. The latest, if I'm not mistaken, was in February about three or four times for a sit-down.

And at the very least, again, with the idea, we'll present our case. Whatever judgment you want to pass later on, that's up to you. But at least for us to present the counter argument, show, you know, show what we've done, how we've utilized this tournament and how really this tournament is an historical event. What you see in stadiums, what you see outside, the engagement,

the cultural engagement, the fans, the way people are dressing. Yeah. I mean, you know, just a little side story. You know, over the years, as I did a lot of interviews, especially from back home, I'm always dressed like this. And a lot of my friends, whether they're journalists, and even some experts, always try to try to,

convinced me to dress in a Western way. Even if I'm in Qatar, dress in a Western way. Why should we force on you anything, frankly? Whether it's our values that we have in the UK, the way we dress, the way we talk, the way we drink, I'm not sure that we're in any position to take the high moral ground as a country which, for example, invaded Iraq illegally in 2003

in invasion I opposed as a newspaper editor. Does that give us bragging rights on morality with the Middle East. I'm not sure that it does. I do want to turn to some things where I think I would say have a criticism, notably migrant workers. The Guardian newspaper said that 6,500 migrant workers have died as a result of the World Cup construction. I've looked into this, as have many other fact-checkers.

That figure is deeply misleading, because it's actually the number of migrants who died in total in the last 12 years since the bid was confirmed for Qatar. of any cause. Do you know how many migrant workers have died as a result of any construction since the announcement of the bid? In terms of, you know, what we did from day one, at least within the organization that I'm responsible for, is we were committed towards being transparent and, you know, capturing any incidents, whether it's in terms of, you know, misses, accidents or unfortunately deaths. And we decided to capture, and we made a decision in terms of,

of obviously work-related deaths as defined under the industry standard, but also capturing what we consider to be non-work-related deaths. And this is only purely in relation to the stadiums and the projects that we're responsible for. And what are those totals? And that's three work-related deaths and 37 non-work-related deaths. Right. These are deaths specific to World Cup construction, the stadiums, right? Do you know how many people have died in Qatar since you won the bid

in the last 12 years from any construction related to anything? thing to do the World Cup. In other words, new hotels, new bridges, whatever, whatever, whatever. In other words, what is the honest, realistic total, do you think, of migrant workers who died from, as a result of what they're doing for the World Cup in totality? The estimate is around 400. Between 400 and 500, I don't have the exact number. That's something that's being discussed. I mean, there will people, I sound you say that's a lot of people. One death is too many years. But let me say 400 is a price too big to pay. What do you say to that?

What I will say is one death is a death too many, plain and simple. And I think every year the health and safety standards on the sites are improving, at least on our sites, the World Cup sites, the ones that we're responsible for, most definitely to the extent that you've got trade unions, representatives of the German trade union, representatives of the Swiss trade unions, have, just to admit this point, have commended the work that's been done on the World Cup sites and improvement. Right. But do you accept then?

because of the improvements that have been made, that at the start, they weren't good enough, the standards? I think overall, the need for labor reform in itself dictates that, yes, improvements had to happen. And just so we're clear, this was something that was recognized before we bid. The improvements that have happened isn't because of the World Cup. These are improvements that we knew we had to do because of our own values. Improvements that had to happen, whether it's in terms of health and safety standards, whether it's in terms of improving the accommodations standards,

whether it's in terms of dismantling the Kefalah system. Now, what the World Cup did, the World Cup served as a vehicle, as an accelerant, as a catalyst. Because of the spotlight, which we recognized early on was going to be shed, it allowed, you know, it caused a lot of these initiatives, not only in terms of improvement in the legislation, but in the enforcement of it as well. And that's where today, you know, where we led to, you know, we got to a position where our most ardent of critics consider us today to be a benchmark in the region.

LGBT rights because a lot of furority about this and in particular the wearing of the arm band so the England captain Harry Kane and several other European country captains were all going to wear the one love arm band did you personally have any problem with them doing that if it was done specifically to address Qatar I had a problem with it right if it was done some you know if it was something that was going to be done and the European nations were going to be holding you're just wearing it continuously constantly and of course that's a decision that they you That's up to them.

Was FIFA right to say if they wear it, they'd all get bookings? Again, it's a decision that FIFA's made between them and the European nations, and I think it became a standoff, and that was a discussion that was between them. For me, what I'm trying to say, you know, for our position and my personal position is, look, you know, we've always said everybody's welcome. And we've worked very hard to create an environment and to ensure that people from all parts of the world and all walks of life come into Qatar,

engage and interact with people from the Arab world and the Middle East, even though we might not necessarily see eye to eye on certain things, even though we might not agree on certain things, but everybody is welcome. And the point is, you know, to come to terms of the fact that we won't see eye to eye,

but we can still have mutual respect for each other and still find a way of moving forward, celebrating together. And I think... Is it safe for gay people to be in Qatar now? It's safe for everybody to be in Qatar. Yes. Unequivocally appears, yes.

And safe for gay people to live in Qatar? Yes. I think it's safe for everybody to live in Qatar, it appears. There would be a problem if a gay couple, for example, show demonstrative displays of... Public display of affection generally is not part of our culture. Public display of affection is not part of our culture. It's not, you know, regardless of who you are, regardless of your sexual identification or so on. Public display of affection is not.

And again, I say that, and I mean, within the... And I mean within reason. You know, holding hands in the streets is fine. For gay people? Holding hands in the streets for anybody's fine. It is? But what I'm saying is, you know, there's, you know, public intimacy is not part of our culture.

We're a relatively conservative culture. In the West, the individual's personal rights always trump, let's say the community rights. That's what's most sacred. Now there are other societies, our society being one of them, you know, the Arab world in the Middle East, where it's the communal values, it's the values of the community in society, which is also, again, fundamentally related to religion as well. That is, that is, you know, of a higher value of higher importance. And again, the question then becomes, what is more important? You know, if you're coming from a Western value-based system, you look at individual rights, regardless of any other aspect that should always be sacred.

And from our part of the world, it's the religious values that are there. What I'm trying to say is at points in time, these discussions, you know, to try to find a winner out of them or try to find, you know, for somebody to kind of defeat somebody else in terms of the discussions, the reality is that there will be no winner. But what we have to do is find, you know, or at least that's what we try to do is, find common ground, find something at least that unites us. And come to terms with the fact that we might not see eye to eye on certain things, but we have to find a way of coexisting and moving forward. And what this World Cup is showcased, again, taking it back to what you see on the streets, taking back to where you see the engagement. taking him back to where you're seeing, you know, the Brazilian and the Saudis singing, Where's Messi? Yeah.

After the loss of, after the defeat of Argentina. Seeing the Argentinians coming and, you know, finding the Saudis and saying, where's Salaam when they lost against Poland? Looking at people dressing like me, you know, I've seen somebody dressing, you know, wearing the thobe, but in the Portuguese flag. I've seen the Croatian flag. I saw a tweet yesterday that, for me, was just absolutely funny. A guy saying, you know, for the never in my life was I expecting to see a Spaniard, but I was

rushing because he's late to watch the Spanish match holding onto his headgear. That's Petra Nagal. What's happening outside is a celebration of cultures. I want to end on a positive. It's been a positive entity. Who's going to win the World Cup? You know, tell you something. Give me a name.

I need a name. Take your neck out. I'll take my neck out. I'll take this back in three weeks. I'll say France. France? I think France. Led by Mbapé.

Led by Mbépe and the French team, yes. I think. Actually, I think England have a good chance. England have got a great chance. If Harry Kane remains fit and they play phone, but I also think Portugal have a chance with my friend Christiana. Of course. Because I think he's got a vision of himself lifting that cup

and they have a very good side. Well, you know, just to be fair as well, for me, I want England to win. Just so we're clear. I do want England to be great to have, you know, English football history connected to Qatar forever. Yeah. Asan, thank you very much.

Thank you very much. Good to talk to you. Thank you. Well, next tonight, Controversial. Football pundits Richard Keyes and Andy Gray join me to discuss their new life here in Qatar and they speak for the first time on UK TV about the extraordinary fallout from their sexist comments that got them, well, the heave home from Skull. Dark place, the house surrounded by people and I knew I had done something wrong.

Of course I did, but I couldn't compute it. And my head was go on. Well, welcome back to my live special edition of Pierce Morgan Unsensit from here in Doha, Qatar at the World Cup. Richard Keyes and Andy Gray were the famous faces of Sky Sports Premier League Coverage for a generation. As English football became a global sensation, they became household names. But they lost it all in a notorious scandal over sexist comments made off-air about a female assistant referee, and they since moved their careers and their lives to here in Qatar. I spoke exclusive to you to them earlier, and they, their first UK TV interview in a decade since it all went down.

Why did you say yes to me? Well, it's quite simple. You're Piers Morgan, you're the governor. I kind of like your style, I'll be honest, for you know, I think it would it be my mate? Pierce's style? Very much, yeah. And I don't like Marmite, but I quite like your style. So we had a chat and it wasn't, as you might suspect, it wasn't a done deal when we were asked,

but I kind of say to Richard, I'd like to talk to Pierce. We are, as my great friend late, great Ray Wilkins would say, we are a tad, or were a tad bruised, and so therefore we withdrew entirely from engaging with the British media. And we've largely concentrated on the opportunity that was afforded to us here. We've had an absolute ball for a decade. The other thing that I thought you were very fair about peers was your attitude. towards this World Cup, the country, friends that we've made in the time that we've been here.

Just to start with the fact that World Cup's here, you guys have lived here for the last decade. What do you make of the way that particularly in the UK, there's been this narrative about Qatar, they shouldn't have the World Cup, it was one with corruption, there are all these problems of LGBT rights, Michael Wulgarz. To me, these are all legitimate concerns. Agreed. But I also think there's been a lot of hypocrisy. I don't remember this outcry as intense as it's been in for such a long time around Russia four years ago.

I don't. And that was four years after they invaded Crimea, right, and with exactly the same record about human rights when it comes to LGBT and so on and so on. So I do feel there's a lot of hypocrisy. There's a war raging in Yemen. Right. But my view on, yes, there is a lot of hypocrisy. none of us condone what Putin did has done

and would wish to do as far as his excursion into the Ukraine is concerned but I think that resonated more in Europe because white faces were being seen in distressing situations if the colour of the face is different it doesn't quite resonate to the same degree as unfortunate as that is it's true So here we've had different wars at different times that we've had to come to terms with and they haven't necessarily made a line of copy in the UK. So, yeah, all of the things that have been mentioned, we understand,

and I think the country here more than any in this part of the world understands. But I think it was you that made the point when I was listening the other week. If you accept the principle that a World Cup is coming to the Middle East and it should, where are you going to play it if not Kata? Right. And by the way, for the same reason, do you then go and play it in Africa, which has many of the same issues? Do you go to India? Do you go to China?

What about four years from now in America? You mentioned that in your interview? I've lived there. I love America. I've lived there on and off for nearly 20 years, but I don't agree with some of their laws, gun laws, some of their state laws about abortion now. I wonder if people will take the high moral ground about America's laws.

doubt they wouldn't with the same ferocity they have here. I don't think it'll get a mention, Pearce, because again, I refer you back to what I just said about. Listen, a lot of what the criticism leveled at this country has bolded, if not has been racist. It has been shocking. Please let me tell you about, you say overnight, and in all honesty, this country I live in now,

there's no resemblance to the one I moved into 10 years ago. In what way? And the way it has changed, its views, its laws, the kaffala that used to be in here that restricted people. people from travelling and whatever, that's all been gone. They're modifying everything in that respect and they are trying to move on. But as you said, they're doing it slowly.

And maybe that's not to everyone's satisfaction. Maybe it's too slow. If you were being critical, what would you say? What would be your biggest criticism? I think all of the issues that you've mentioned... I could do another couple of golf courses. Yeah. All of those factors should be taken as seriously as they have been.

But you can't use them to... consistently whilst change is taking place at the pace of the Qatari government. And again, it shouldn't be dictated to by the West and whatever we believe to be valuable and important in life. You have to follow this. No, it's been a slow process, perhaps in some areas, too slow. But progress has been made virtually every day since we came here. And Andy's right. It's a totally different country, the one we moved to, and it's a very enjoyable place to.

Let's get to why you came here, right? So the last time many people would have seen if they don't watch your commentaries now would have been when you were riding unbelievably high at Sky, Premier League was on fire, you guys were the frontmen for it, life was good,

you were superstars really of British TV, especially in football, and then bang. Do you recognise any of that? Yeah, just me. I used to watch you guys and love you guys, right? You were an integral part of my football watching.

life. And then, bang, do you regret saying the things he said, albeit they were said privately? Of course. Listen, it, yes. I questioned whether a young lady from Coventry, my hometown, would know the offside law as she made her debut. The female lines were... Yeah, yeah. I, on air, because I was not sure who her father was, actually on air as we went to the kickoff said and we also have a female assistant we call them these days

good luck to her Sean I don't know I may have gone to school with her dad she's from my manner so all the very best to her she made a number of errors first half that I was insistent we didn't show nor did we she got one absolutely spot on the goal that was scored against Liverpool I believe when I spoke to her the following day

she was great she said hey come on Now, you rang her to apologise? Yes, of course. And she accepted the apology. More than accepted it. She said, I expected it this last week. It's just a bit of fun. Come on, Keezy. I'd never really come across that word banter. She said, oh, come on, it's just banter. And that, I suppose, stuck in my mind. And I said, no, no, no. I said, Sean, this is really serious now. It's got a life of its own. I have to make this an official apology.

On behalf of myself and Andy, who's in commentary now, she went, well, right, okay, I'm waiting. So I did. And then she went, oh, by the way, a couple of things first. half that you didn't show thank goodness for that thank you so we're not in that business you know so yes in isolation those those my questioning whether she knew the offside law was was unacceptable anybody honestly is sports television at the time very few people would survive all their private conversations being made public I don't think that's that's not because everyone's awful it's because the banter that you alluded to earlier was very prevalent I

By the way, I hate that word, and I'd never, as I said, I'd never used it, but Sean said to me, I expected it last week, oh, come on, it was only bouncer. And I suppose that was in my head. And at the time, when you're on the defensive, because you can't get your head around what's going on. It's an extraordinary place to be. You know, you've set the dogs on many in a different role. Well, I've been on receiving in, too. You've also been on the receiving game.

So I've been poached a turn game before. I know what it's like. It's a terrible place to be. It's awful. If you had your time again, would you have done anything different in the way you responded? Yes. What would you have done? I would have accepted quicker that what people were saying to me was accurate

and I would have understood sooner that what happened shouldn't have done. But you're not in that place. But I've said many times to friends, given the same circumstances again, of course I would have gone things differently. But you also have to then factor in mental health, which I think people too quickly dismiss, less so now than they have. For the first time in my life, I found myself in a very difficult place. I just couldn't get my head around it, Pearce.

It didn't at that time seem to be so significant to start the forest fire that was engulfing us. Well, coming up next, a lot more from Richard Keyes and Andy Gray, and it gets emotional. Welcome back to my live special edition of Pierce Morgan Unsensitive from here in Doha, Cater, scene of the World Cup. Here's more from my exclusive interview with Richard Keyes and Andy Gray. but don't put any punches in the second part of our very revealing and it turned out emotional interview. Andy, you've alluded to the fact that you had suicidal thoughts at one stage. Yeah.

You're serious. Yeah, that's serious. I mean, you talked about it. I had a wonderful life. Fortunate, lucky. I played 17 years as a footballer. It was glorious. Best years of my life.

15. 15. You can't come. The last two were a bit iffy. I'll give you that. Yeah, okay, okay. And then went to work in the sport I love for a new broadcaster. It was about to revolutionise football in the way it did

and had 20 years there. So I suddenly found myself in a really dark place, the house surrounded by people. And I knew I had done something wrong. Of course I did. But I couldn't compute it. And my head was gone. I hadn't been for my wife.

I don't know what would happen. I really don't. Rachel was amazing. Wonderful. You were that low. Yeah. I was closely gone down the garden where I used to have a pooled

a pond down at a garden with a little bottle and a few pulls and I would have nipped down. I was that bad one day. I was that bad. Yeah. But... I mean, that's horrific.

People who know me would probably think, yeah, you're kidding. Because you're too... No, but I can see it in your face. even as you think about it again. Horrible. It's a very emotional thing to relive for you. Horrible.

Horrible. I couldn't work it out. And you got done wrong, but I thought, you know, for two weeks, I couldn't get out of the house. I'm just surrounded by press and TV cameras and crews. And amazing. Weird. Really weird.

Really weird. But we're through it now. I am through it now. And your family was what saved you? Yeah, Rachel, and the kids. And pals. You know, friends, people who... You learn with your friends are, Pierce,

with things that that happens to you, and I think we both did, didn't we? We both learned. Did you know how low and you... Yes, I was there too. Same... Oh, feeling suicide? Oh, Pierce.

Really? You have no idea. It's, you know, mental... It's right. You can't explain. You look back now with a clear head and a clear... You go, come on, what are you thinking?

You know, but when you're in that place, and he's right, you couldn't, the only, I used to have to leave my house from my back garden. I would walk to a local nursery that was close by. I got in a taxi. I flew out here, actually, because NASA Al-Khalifi, who I'd worked for earlier, 2008, and he wanted me to join then. And, of course, I should have done, but I was too comfortable. I should have taken his offer, but didn't.

So he called and said, look, nobody's talking about it out here, why don't you come out here? But then the heat got too much, and I felt I had to back away for us, because it was going to bring too much attention to this country and they didn't need to inherit our problems at that time. So we put it on a burner. So in any way, I lost two jobs in, we lost two jobs in two weeks, one of them of our own volition.

But no, it's a... Do you think it was wrong that you lost her jobs? You talked about how it made you feel. Well, let me ask you then. Can I turn that on you? Yeah. Because I would like to know. Do you think it was wrong we lost our jobs?

Well, it's interesting. you know when I've looked at it all again, it feels to me like an overreaction by everybody because I think that you made fulsome apologies. I know Karen Brady, for example, who is one of the bosses of West Ham, and when one of her players got caught kicking a cat around, horrendous video came out, she said everyone deserves second chance of forgiveness. And yet I remember her reaction to when you two were sacked and it was a different reaction. And I felt there was a real kind of feeding frenzy to do you in, which with hindsight now looks like it was overdone. But mainly because you didn't say this on air.

And I do think that everybody, anyone who had all their private conversations put onto public domain, I'm not sure many people would survive it. They wouldn't survive it. You'd been in more green rooms probably you can count and had conversations with guests off of Mike. And if half of the things that you talk about were run, people would be horrified. Private conversations are, why they're called a private conversation.

Andy, who let you down most in the world of football that you would have expected to defend you when you look back? At that time? Yeah. Lots of people. Are there any of the stick in your mind? I wouldn't want to name too many of them. My real friends were there, without a share of a doubt.

And I knew who they were. I mean Andy Towns then we've talked about Andy he was one of my neighbours then and I was sitting there in the kitchen one day just head was all over the place the next minute the gates open and this motorbike a rider comes right down the drive

he's got an extra he's got an extra helmet and he's under his arm he comes screeching in and it's Andy takes the hat off he's got a hat and I'm going to what you come on I said what I'm getting you out of here I said no no you're not and I was I was he said yeah yeah go on

put this helmet on, we'll get up to the gate and then we'll do a runner. I said, no, I can't. But that's the kind of friend that was there. But there were lots of people that I looked after, peers, in various ways and various things that I never heard from. And I've never heard from probably in 20 years.

Let me ask you, I mean, have you guys I think every bloke, right? How old are you now if you don't want to go? I'm 50 next year. Now you're 50, I plus that. How old are you guys? I'm 65, Pearce. And I am 67 in two days.

And I'm 57. I think every bloke has probably gone through a little bit of re-evaluation in recent years about what is appropriate and not appropriate in terms of how you act, what you say. Have you guys, since what happened to you, have you gone through that process? Yes, and I sometimes look at what you've got to say on different matters, and I think to myself, no, Piers, come on. Because if we are to find a balance, then we have to overbalance, one direction in order to get back to the middle.

Because for too long, men have had everything in their own way. And we're looking to try and find middle ground. And if we're not going to do that just by us, in my view, we've got to go here and we have to accept a lot of the things that irritate you particularly, and drag them to the centre ground, and then we might find a better balance. Because I know, the moment I announced I've done this interview, we all know what's going to happen. There'll be people on Twitter. Why are you interviewing those sexist dinosaurs?

dinosaurs ruled the world for about 300 million years. You're proud to be a dinosaur. I can't stay away from social media most of the time, Peers. I'm not been a fan of it. For that kind of reason. To those who think that's what you are because of what happened 10 years ago, what do you say to them? Talk to anyone who knows me.

Really? I can't defend myself. It's easy to defend myself. But that would be wrong. People know me, peers. people who have been my friends and talk to my family. Anyone who knows me ask them, and if they turn around and say to you, yeah, he's definitely a sexist,

then I would be very, very surprised. So I... That's it. If you were offered jobs again in the UK, would you go back? My primary... I am deeply loyal to the company that I work for and with. I think there is a process at which...

now I would be able to engage, yes. But there is no suggestion of that being the case. But yeah, listen, I find it extraordinary, honestly, because in life things happen for a reason, I believe. I wouldn't wish upon any, well, I might one or two exceptions. But I wouldn't wish, upon the majority, what we went through. But I, as a result, have lived a wonderful life here. I mean, I feel, and I might be completely wrong here,

but just from the interview you gave to the Telegraph and from just things I've picked up, and even today, actually, I think that maybe you've come to terms with what happened better in the sense that you're ready to sort of leave it. I feel with you, Richard, I'm... Correct me if I'm wrong. There's still a lot of anger about what happened.

No, I just not... And resentment. No, I don't think that's necessarily true. I'm very comfortable at the place we're in, but I will always carry a little bit of anger in my back pocket. I don't think that's a bad thing. If that is to be used by way of motivation, then I'm very happy with that as well. But no, there are a number of... It's instinct, peers.

It's something that you would do. You would want to know what happened. I can't, that's how my mind is. If you let bitterness eat you up. It's not bitterness. That in his way can be grossing. How would you categorise what you feel? I would say it still is.

A back pocket full of anger. That's all. When you think about it, yeah, and I do for him, when I see my mate sat there, as distressed as he was talking about it, I feel protective, and then that stirs a little bit more of me

to get on the front foot, and that's how it's been. A couple of quick football questions. I can't not ask you, give him where it was. World Cup in your backyard, but can England win the World Cup? They can. They can. Will they? That's a different question. They're capable.

What will they depend on? Well, all sorts of things. Harry Kane, you're a football line. Not losing Cain would be obviously a huge factor. He doesn't look fit to me. No, his ankle looks dodgy. If it's not England, who do you fancy? Who do you think of the standard? One of my favourites. I thought Belgium would make a real impression here. I also think Portugal with my old buddy Christiano. Do you think he was right to do the interview with me?

No. Why? Not at this time of his career. I thought it was badly timed. I didn't think he needed to volunteer for the aggravation that it's brought him. Were I you, I would have said to him, listen, I'm very, very keen that you sit down and talk with me, but let's get you sorted out first,

because we don't want to taint the legacy. We don't want you leaving Manchester United under a cloud, and there's no reason that you do. I should. Roy Keen left after a similar outburst on Manu TV. And he's revered as evil. Do you think he's tainted his legacy at all? No, no.

I don't think if he marks problems with Eric Teng Haar and the coach he had never heard of before that ran wreck. I don't think he's going to make any difference to the legacy of Renauds. So you think in Tain, Manchester-Aided fans will see him, for ever. He remains one of the greatest players I've ever had. And in terms of... What if they have a view of Rinaldo the same as you've just suggested public do still of us? It's going to be a long time. You know what Christiane said to me?

You're never going to please everybody. So you may as well be true to yourself. That's true. Well, you see what we've done, we're now interviewing you. You know what? It's great to see you. Enjoy cat-up. I've enjoyed my time here, and I'm glad you guys have enjoyed it.

And I hope this interview goes away to, you know, make people realise what you've been through and... Well, Lenders, we start, appears, it is kind of you to offer the invitation for us to come and talk to you. And I know one of your objectives when you took this job was to uncancel people. And if you've played a role... We're cancelled? Oh, I think so, don't you?

I don't think you should be there. should be... I don't think almost anyone should be irrevocably cancer. Agreed. I'm not sure what more you can do than show remorse, say you wish you hadn't said those things, but they were said privately. A lot of other people were saying similar stuff at the time. I heard them, right, in some cases, right? In the football world. And I think that the reaction was overdone. You're very kind to have given us this opportunity. Good to see you. Thank you. Thank you. Come on, England. You're gone for a swim? I might actually. Good to see you.

Well, coming up, after the devastating. revelation that Team USA had not lost to England last week. Was that result a start wake-up call or a freak result? Former US defender Alexei Lalas is uncensored next, and he's going to cop it. Welcome back to a special edition of Piercemore and unscensored live here in Doha, Qatar, scene of the World Cup. Well, I watched England via the US at the weekend, well, Friday, wasn't it, with my head in my hands. It was a dismal display by England, a nil-nill-nill-bore.

Of course, the US, by not losing, basically went as far as far as. I was almost having a ticket-tapped reception through every major city of the country. It was for them, one of the great moments of their lives. For us, a terrible night at the office. I'm joined now by former U.S. Football legend, Fox Sports Lead Football Analyst, Alexi, welcome. Thank you. To Pierce Morgan, I says. It's a pleasure.

It's a pleasure. It's a pleasure. You're probably the least censored person I know in world sport. That's how I roll, peers. That's how I roll. So look, I was gutted on Friday by the misery of our performance only because we- I saw it. It was wonderful.

Well, I know you enjoyed it, jumping on my grade, but only because we've been so good and thrilling against Iran, you now have to play Iran. Yeah. And you've got to beat them to actually go through. What are your things going to happen? I think Iran will bunker. I think that the U.S. will have plenty of possession. And I think ultimately it will come down to, you know, a set piece type of situation. But I think the U.S. will find a way through.

I think the U.S. is better than Iran. The interesting thing is, you know, the narratives, obviously, that are around and, you know, soccer, call it soccer. Well, soccer mirrors life and the politics and culture and all that kind of stuff. So obviously all of our incredible history and our contentious history with that country. In 1998 in the World Cup, we actually played Iran and I was part of that team. And we tried to put that away, you know, and I think it was a real mistake because we came up against a team that kind of harnessed and really used that, you know, that narrative and all that kind of stuff. Yeah, and it fueled them. And so I hope Greg Verhalter, the coach of the U.S. team, comes out in this game tomorrow and has the players,

understand the importance of this game. Interestingly, you've got the Iranian players themselves making a stand about the oppression of women in their own country, which is incredibly heroic of them and brave. And brave, yeah. But in a way, they're having their own little political battle with their own country. They are. And so it remains to be seen where the US fits into it here. But ultimately, this is to get out of the group.

And that would be a big, you know, it's not, we haven't done it before, but it's a big step for the US here to figure out a way to get this win against Iran, you know, that we, you know. Ratings have been fantastic. Record ratings. People are watching. Right. So record numbers are watching. Despite my appearance, people are watching.

Yes, exactly. I think it's probably because of my contributions. But they are record ratings. What does that tell you about where football is going, our football, now in America? Well, we are a soccer culture, whether you want to acknowledge it or recognize it or not. We are different. We don't need to apologize for what we are or what we aren't. We are a soccer community and culture that is discerning, that is passionate.

that has a history. And as I said, you know, in the past, we've had this inferiority complex. And a lot of it is relative to the English. Let's be, let's be honest. Very understandable. Well, it's understandable. We need to shed that. And I think that we have. I mean, we're smarter, better looking as a populace. Well, you know, we're coming for you. I mean, we're coming for you in terms of players. We're coming for you in terms of coaches. And by the way, we're coming for you in terms of ownership. So eventually we will own that is true. You own my team. There you go. You're welcome. You're welcome for the money that he is spending for your team. You're sitting pretty right now.

Well, he spends it all on the L.A. Rands. You guys are okay right now. We're actually with top of the long. Yeah, there you go. We're going well. Well done. You were one of America's greatest ever football players are football. It's abatable, but whatever.

Okay. Do you miss it? Do you miss playing at the high level? I'm, I miss. I mean, I love what I do, peers. I mean, you can tell that you love what you do. I love what they can, they can pry this job from my cold, dead, red-headed American hands, okay? I love it.

And they're coming. All the young ones are coming now. And they see, it's easy from the couch or whatever to do it. but as you know, it takes some level of skill. And I get young players that come to me all the time and say, listen, if you can find something that is a jumping off type of thing, go for a, it's very hard to replicate playing. Will soccer, as you call it in America,

will it ever get up with the other major national sports, do you think? I think it will, but we will always have that history. Would it take U.S. to win a World Cup? No, I mean, that's not a panacea. That doesn't change. I mean, it's huge. It would be wonderful, and it would certainly bring a lot of people into the tent. But this tent is getting bigger.

And as I said before, it's a really unique soccer tent. And we're, you know, you guys are insufferable over there with what you are. We put up with you. And there's an incredible relationship in history with your country and your people and your soccer culture. We have a special relationship election. You do, you do, you do. And you couldn't possibly lose to Wales tomorrow because you're so good. And it's definitely coming home at some point, without a doubt.

So I congratulate you ahead of time. Just remind you, it has come home, but just not since 1966. Right, but it has to comb home again. Right. You know, like the invented the sport and everybody else perfected. I understand that. I understand all of that. Alexi, I want to talk to you again maybe Wednesday.

That's it. That's it. I'm here for you. Good luck to you and your country tomorrow. I'm just happy that you guys are here. I want England and the US to both go through. Should we agree on that? Absolutely, my friend. Great to see you, man.

Alexie Lallis, what alleged. That's it for me. I'll be back tomorrow at 9 p.m. Whatever you're up to. Keep it uncensored.