Tottenham forward Richarlison will reportedly refuse to shake hands with West Ham’s Michail Antonio this season after comments made during the last campaign.
Antonio, a regular on the Footballers’ Football Podcast on the BBC, has been publicly critical of Richarlison, though he insists it’s all a normal part of the banter you get in football.
Still, Richarlison was supposedly not at all happy with Antonio and will now refuse to shake hands with him when the two teams meet in the Premier League.
“He’s scored four times this season,” Antonio said mockingly last season.
“Three of the times he’s been offside [and] he’s taken his top off four times this season.”
Richarlison then responded to these comments with a swipe at Antonio on TikTok, and the Hammers ace has now said he won’t be commenting on the player any longer.
“I am no longer commenting on Richarlison,” he said on the latest episode of the podcast.
“It’s got to the stage where I feel that some people are a little touchy.
“I am not going to talk about the person that is in that position. I am just going to say that Tottenham need a striker. I will leave it at that – It’s banter. We banter with each other.
“I have gone to Paqueta. They play with each other. I have said ‘What’s wrong with your boy? It’s a bit of banter. I don’t understand why he is taking it so personally’, to the stage where his manager has to talk.
“Lucas is like ‘It’s just how he is, Mickey. I told him that’s how you are. But he says ‘no, no, no. When we play against them. I am not going to shake his hand’.”