Harry Redknapp sparks debate after saying Bournemouth feels like a ‘third-world country’
Former Premier League manager Harry Redknapp believes Britain has become ’overrun’ with illegal migrants and claimed his hometown Bournemouth has become akin to a ’third-world country’.
Redknapp made the comments in a live interview with TalkTV on Friday as he reacted to images of migrants crossing into Spain’s North African territory of Ceuta over the past two days.
Around 60,000 Moroccans have crossed into the Spanish enclave, overwhelming border guards and prompting Spain to deploy its military to restore the border.
At least 43 people have died during the crossing, which has seen a major influx after Spain’s Supreme Court ruled that migrants stopped at sea while trying to reach Ceuta cannot be summarily returned to Morocco.
Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez described the situation as an ’attack’, while Prime Minister Andy Burnham said the unfolding crisis was ’concerning’ as he vowed to provide support to the Spanish government.
Speaking with Jeremy Kyle, former football manager Redknapp claimed the migrants would eventually make their way to the United Kingdom as they know it to be ’the land of milk and honey’.
’What amazes me when I watch all them pictures, they’re all young blokes,’ he said on TalkTV. ’Where are the women? Is there no women?
’They’ve got no intention of going back. They make their way here. They know this is the land of milk and honey.
’So we accept it all and it’s getting overrun. This country’s overrun. I live in Bournemouth and Bournemouth town centre is absolutely gone.’
Redknapp continued: ’I had some friends come down the other week, and they said they thought we were in a third-world country.
’I mean, walking down the old Christchurch road down that way now, it’s sad how it’s gone.’
Redknapp, who turned 79 earlier this year, enjoyed stints at Tottenham, West Ham, and Portsmouth during his long managerial career.
The Englishman most famously won the FA Cup with Portsmouth in 2008 and later took Tottenham into the modern-day Champions League for the first time in its history in 2010-11.
Last year, Redknapp came in for criticism after a video emerged showing him appearing to make a Nazi salute as he labelled England boss Thomas Tuchel ’a German spy’.
’I’ll be honest with you, I think he’s a German spy,’ Redknapp said at an event in London. ’I’m telling you. Seriously, he’s been sent over to f**k us up. He has. I’m telling ya, he’s like Lord Haw-Haw in the war – ’We have your best soldiers captured’ and all that.’
Redknapp later attempted to walk back the comments, insisting the comments were a ’joke that badly backfired’.
Deputy Editor
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