Phil Foden Breaks Silence On Offensive Chants About His Mother During Manchester Derby

‎Phil Foden faced a challenging Manchester derby on Sunday, as the England international was targeted with “classless” chants regarding his mother from the home crowd at Old Trafford.

‎Pep Guardiola remarked that Manchester United should be “ashamed” and condemned them for a “lack of class” after offensive chants were directed at the 24-year-old Manchester City forward. Foden was substituted before the hour mark in the 0-0 draw.

‎Footage on social media appeared to show Foden responding to the chants during the derby and he reacted by raising his thumb to the goading United fans at Old Trafford and applauding sarcastically.

‎“Lack of class. But it’s not United, it’s the people, you know?” Guardiola said. “We are so exposed, people who are on the screen in world football – managers, owners, and football players especially.

‎“Honestly, I don’t understand the mind of the people involving the mum of Phil. It’s a lack of integrity and class, and they should be ashamed.”

‎This isn’t the first time Foden and his family have been targeted. In 2022, the Manchester City star was abused and attacked while attending the boxing match between Amir Khan and Kell Brook at Manchester’s AO Arena with his mother.

‎These incidents underscore the troubling behavior directed towards the young player and his loved ones.

‎Foden’s mother was in the headlines in January 2024 when she appeared in court and was fined for swearing at Police following a night out in Conwy, Wales the previous September. She was found not guilty of an additional charge of assault.

‎Foden is the reigning PFA Player of the Year but has struggled this season amid a wider dip from City, who could fall to sixth place in the Premier League table if Newcastle beat Leicester on Monday night.

‎Foden scored 19 goals in the Premier League last season, but he has only managed seven this term. Despite this, manager Guardiola emphasized that the entire team is responsible for falling short of their standards this campaign.

‎”This season we dropped incredibly. Not just Phil Foden but all of them,” Guardiola said after the draw at Old Trafford. “Last season, his impact was incredible. With him and chances it’s normally bang, bang. Just not at the moment.

‎”But the team is not playing at the level we had. And we were not at our level in this game.”