O’Callaghan claims former Liverpool bad boy told him he would ‘make up’ damaging claims

A FORMER Cork City footballer has weighed in to the shocking race row surrounding ex-Liverpool stars Steven Gerrard and El Hadj Diouf.

In a recent outburst, controversial Senegalese striker Diouf claimed his former teammate Gerrard was a racist.

Lawyers for Gerrard categorically denied the claims on his behalf.

However, George O’Callaghan, a former manager of Malaysian side Sabah where Diouf is currently playing, yesterday posted a series of tweets blasting the claims as “lies”.

Diouf, who has played for Liverpool, Bolton and Rangers, was responding to Gerrard’s criticism of him in his autobiography.

He told a Portuguese radio station: “It’s common knowledge. Gerrard has never liked black people.

“When I was at Liverpool, I showed him I was black, that I wasn’t English, but that I’m no pushover. All the time I was there, he never dared looked me in the eye.”

He added: “Gerrard is just jealous. What I achieved in football, he never managed.”

But O’Callaghan hit back at Diouf’s claims saying: “I feel really strong on racism, when I saw what El Hadji Diouf said about Steven Gerard today, I can tell everyone it is lies.

“He told me when I was his manager in Sabah that one day he would say what he said about Gerard, I ask him was it true and he said no but he hated him.”

He added: “I am aware of Diouf’s antics as I managed him, it is totally disrespectful to a player like Gerrard who I don’t know but admired for along time.”