Former football pundit, Adrian Chiles, was spotted wearing a West Brom coat at the funeral of One Direction star Liam Payne.
Why Did Adrian Chiles Wear A West Brom Coat At Liam Payne Funeral?
The former One Show host opted to wear a West Brom coat Liam Payne’s funeral as a touching tribute to the recently passed One Direction star.
Close friends and family members attended Payne’s funeral on the morning of Wednesday 20th November, after the 31-year-old tragically passed away on October 16th.
Each member of One Direction was in attendance, as Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan and Zayn Malik paid their respects to their former bandmate.
Other recognisable faces included former Tottenham Hotspur striker, Robbie Keane, who appeared in Soccer Aid with Payne and of course Adrian Chiles – who shared a bond over West Brom.
Liam Payne was a huge Baggies supporter and owned a season ticket at The Hawthorns, which is why Chiles was seen in a West Brom coat.
While the majority of those mourning wore black clothing, Baggies fan Chiles donned a West Brom long-coat. Payne was a passionate football fan and a season-ticket holder at The Hawthorns.
Adrian Chiles at Liam Payne's funeral in a West Brom jacket. Love this, with them both being huge #WBA fans 💙 [@MailSport] pic.twitter.com/UrmIdcio4d
— BoingBoingBaggies (@Boing__Baggies) November 20, 2024
Chiles is now a host on BBC Radio 5 Live and recently spoke about how he got to know the former One Direction star.
He said (Via BBC Radio 5 Live): “He (Liam Payne) came up to me and said ‘up the Albion’ – he was a West Brom fan. Just as a sign as to how massive he was, I remember we snuck him into a Boxing Day game and I think his mum and dad came and sat with me.
“But we managed to secrete our man up in the commentary gantry so he didn’t get bothered. Then a friend of mine texted me to ask ‘why are West Brom trending number one on Twitter?’ I went, ‘well it could be because Liam Payne is here and he tweeted he was here and the whole world went mad for it.’”
During Payne’s appearance in Soccer Aid 2022, he spoke in an interview about how he was a huge West Brom fan and could not attend matches as often as he would like.
After the news over Payne’s death circulated, many paid their tributes to the musician online and West Brom released a statement of their own.
The statement said: “We’re shocked and saddened to learn of the passing of Baggies fan and musician, Liam Payne. Our thoughts are with Liam’s family, friends and loved ones at this tragic time.”