LONDON: British Prime Minister David Cameron, fighting to keep power at a general election in two weeks, was left red-faced Saturday after getting the name of his favourite football team wrong.
Cameron said he supported West Ham United during a speech, despite previously insisting he was a fan of fellow Premier League team Aston Villa.
He later blamed the blunder on "brain fade" as he read a script from an autocue but the "Villagate" controversy drew plenty of criticism on social media.
The main opposition Labour party's former communications chief, Alastair Campbell, said on Twitter it showed that Cameron was "out of touch. Phoney. Believes nothing."
Former England footballer Gary Lineker added: "David Cameron has forgotten which Football Club he supports. Aston Villa last week, West Ham this. Burnley next?"
Cameron, whose upper-class background is often the subject of jibes from opponents, seems to have only started speaking of his support for Villa since becoming Conservative leader in 2005. His uncle was a former chairman of the club.
He told the House of Commons in 2001 that he did not follow football.
Politicians from across the spectrum in Britain frequently speak of their support for football teams, even when their devotion to the cause seems questionable.
Ex-PM Tony Blair was mocked for years after claiming to have seen a star Newcastle United player in action in the late 1950s, even though he was a toddler and living abroad at the time.
A newspaper later rebutted the myth by saying it had misreported his comments.
