A member of the Ghanaian parliament, Isaac Adongo has tendered an apology to Manchester United defender, Harry Maguire following a viral video where he mocked the English player.
In the video which went viral last year, Adongo, who was addressing his colleagues in the parliament during a budget debate, compared Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia’s economic management to Maguire’s performances on the pitch.
At the time, Maguire was having a torrid time playing for United, and with criticisms pouring in from club fans, the jab by Adongo became a hit, with many reposting the video.
The mockery of the English player had also drawn criticism from some of his fans, including England manager, Gareth Southgate, who condemned the mockery as “ridiculous treatment” and said Maguire had been “an absolute stalwart” for the team.
Maguire’s mother also defended her son and said the abuse he had faced was “disgraceful” and “unacceptable”.
However, during another budget debate, Adongo said he wanted to correct the record, and hailed Maguire as a “transformational footballer”.
He said whereas Maguire had improved and had become a “key player” for Manchester United, Bawumia, who is the head of the government’s economic management team, had not improved, as Ghana continued to face its most severe economic crisis in years.
In a reference to Ghana’s recent debt woes and attempts to get loans from the IMF, Adongo said while Maguire had become a transformed player, “our Maguire, he is now at the IMF, with a cup in hand.”
Speaking to the BBC’s Newsday programme after the debate,
Adongo explained that he had used Maguire’s struggle for form to communicate his dissatisfaction with Ghana’s economy.
“When Harry’s form improved, I felt that he deserved an apology. As a lover of football, it was important that I recognised his turnaround,” Adongo said.
In response to the apology, Maguire himself took to his X account to write that he had accepted the apology.
“See you at Old Trafford soon,” the defender said.