Viewers of Soccer Aid have found themselves defending presenter Alex Scott, as trolls on social media made a number of disparaging remarks about her.
On Sunday night (11 June), Scott co-hosted the biggest charity football match in the world alongside Dermot O’Leary, which raised £14,619,005 for Unicef by full-time. But many viewers seemed more concerned about Scott’s outfit – a fitted red PVC mid-length dress.
Critics called the BBC pundit and former professional footballer “attention seeking” and made other disrespectful comments about her appearance and outfit choice. By the end of the event, Scott’s name was trending on Twitter with hundreds of tweets mocking her appearance.
However, many other fans watching the charity match have defended the presenter, calling out the comments as “degrading” and “misogynistic”.
One person wrote: “I think Alex Scott looked great and don’t get all the criticism over her dress. FFS it was a fun event raising money for a good cause, not a funeral.”
Another remarked that they often notice hurtful comments made about the presenter on social media.
“Every time Alex Scott is on television, there is a disproportionate amount of baseless hate. It’s no coincidence that she is a woman and a person of colour,” wrote one person.
A Twitter user added: “Oh look Alex Scott is trending because, let’s see, some men don’t like a knowledgeable black woman who was a superstar in her sport talking about football, oh and because she wore a dress. She’s rightly here to stay, so jog on.”
“The abuse Alex Scott got on here last night was beyond belief,” wrote another, adding: “I think she looked stunning and more importantly she is true to herself and knows her stuff...football and mental health.”
In an interview with Radio Times last year, Scott said that misogynistic remarks would not stop her from presenting football.
Scott, who retired in 2018 as England’s second-most capped player with 140 appearances, and was part of the BBC’s panel of pundits for the Women’s European Championships last summer, said that she often receives messages from trolls.
“Sometimes people threaten my life and those have to be taken seriously. It’s my responsibility to change perceptions by sitting in that chair and talking about football,” she said.
“The overall level of women’s punditry is good and improving; it’s been a welcome decision,” she said. “But it’s difficult because on Match of the Day we generally have only players who’ve played in the Premier League.”
She added: “Given the popularity of women’s football in this country now, it’s only a matter of time before female presenters will be regular pundits on men’s football too.”
In 2021, House of Lords member Digby Jones criticised Scott’s pronunciation, writing that she “spoils a good presentation job” from her “very noticeable inability to pronounce her ‘g’s at the end of a word".
“Competitors are NOT taking part, Alex, in the fencin, rowin, boxin, kayakin, weightliftin & swimmin.”
At the time, Scott responded, writing on Twitter: “I’m from a working class family in East London, Poplar, Tower Hamlets & I am PROUD. Proud of the young girl who overcame obstacles, and proud of my accent! It’s me, it’s my journey, my grit.”
Lord Digby defended his position suggesting his criticism was not about Scott’s “upbringing” but because she was speaking incorrectly.
“This has got nothing to do with her upbringing. This is not about accents,” he said at the time.
You can find a full match report on Soccer Aid here.
