Gary Lineker has deleted a tweet about Chloe Kelly’s Euro celebration in her sports bra following an online backlash.
The 61-year-old took to Twitter to congratulate the Lionesses on their victory against Germany at the Euro 2022 final on Sunday night.
In a nail-biting final game at Wembley, goals from Ella Toone and Chloe Kelly made history for the England team, bringing football home after 56 years with an end result of 2-1.
The football pundit tweeted: “The @Lionesses have only gone and done it, and Kelly is England’s heroine, bra none.”
But Lineker went on to face heavy backlash from fans who claimed the comment was an example of casual sexism in women’s sports. He deleted the tweet shortly after.
One fan replied: “Seriously Gary? An epic win, a game-changer for women’s sport, a call to arms for young girls who have been told they can’t. And you minimise this glory down to a joke about a woman’s clothing/underwear.
“Casual sexism is rife here and the @Lionesses deserve better.”
Another Twitter user said: “So@GaryLineker you’ve removed your entirely unfunny sexist tweet - are you going to apologise for posting it in the first place?”
The Match of the Day broadcaster responded to the backlash, tweeting: “It was just a play on words given the celebration.
“I do rubbish like that constantly on here, including on men’s football. I’ve deleted it as many people didn’t see the game so missed the context.”
Kelly had celebrated her winning goal on Sunday by removing her England top and running across the pitch in her shorts and sports bra in a victory lap.
Lineker also posted the image of Kelly on Instagram and wrote the same, now edited, comment with one user adding, “Bra none. Superb Gary.”
