Football fans, along with admirers of and , have rallied together in support of Adrian, 57, after he faced criticism for his choice of attire at Liam’s funeral on Wednesday.
aged just 31 on 16th October, following a fall from a third-floor balcony at the CasaSur hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
After an extensive period of investigation, his father Geoff succeeded in repatriating his son’s body to the UK, culminating in a private burial in old Amersham where Liam was surrounded by his loved ones, including ITV’s own Adrian Chiles.
Adrian’s decision to don a football jacket emblazoned with Adidas branding and the badge stood out against the more conventional outfits of other mourners, sparking a backlash from some quarters on social media. Critics lambasted the former Match of the Day 2 host for his sartorial selection, yet supporters were quick to highlight the garment’s significance to Liam.
“Bizarre going to a funeral wearing football gear. Shocking,” one individual vented on Twitter, only to be met with a wave of defence for both Adrian and Liam.
Adrian Chiles turned up in a West Bromwich jacket in honour of Liam (Image: WireImage)
“You know exactly what you’re doing here. Trying to hint that this is funny and odd when it’s because Liam was a massive Baggies fan and they used to watch games together. Shame on you,” retorted one defender, underlining Liam’s passion for the football club, reports .
“Liam Payne was a massive West Brom fan, he would have loved Adrian Chiles turning up at his funeral in that club jacket,” concurred another supporter.
One individual defended: “Even as a Villa fan I can appreciate this. Liam Payne was a massive West Brom fan and Chiles is one of their most high profile supporters. It was also brass monkeys weather today. This tweet is a bit of a low blow.”
Following Liam’s passing, Adrian Chiles spoke about their friendship on his Radio 5 Live show. He shared: “I got to know him when he first did He came up to me and said ‘up the Albion’ – he was a West Brom fan.”
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Adrian is a huge West Brom supporter – as was Liam (Image: Getty)
“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.”
Fans pointed out the link between Adrian Chiles, Liam Payne, and West Brom after Adrian was trolled for wearing a football jacket to Liam’s funeral (Image: Dave Benett/Getty Images)
Former star Liam was a season ticket holder at the Hawthorns, and the club posted a heartfelt tribute to him upon hearing the news of his death.
“We’re shocked and saddened to learn of the passing of Baggies fan and musician, Liam Payne,” the club expressed on social media. “Our thoughts are with Liam’s family, friends and loved ones at this tragic time.”