Kevin Keegan has been asked to “keep his opinions to himself” after he was reported to have claimed female pundits were not convincing covering England men’s games.
The former England manager and Newcastle legend reportedly told an audience in Bristol he had “a problem” with it because he didn’t think it was “the same experience”.
Keegan specifically questioned the suitability of former players for the England women’s side describing incidents in men’s international matches. “If I see an England lady footballer saying … ‘If I would have been in that position I would have done this,’ I don’t think it’s quite the same,” he said. Keegan was also reported in the Times as saying it was a “great time for the ladies” in terms of football broadcasting and that “some of the girl [presenters] we have are so good, they are better than the guys”.
Keegan OBE, at a public event in Bristol, was reported to have said: “I’m not as keen, I’ve got to be honest, and it may not be a view shared. I don’t like to listen to ladies talking about the England men’s team at the match because I don’t think it’s the same experience. I have a problem with that.”
The organisation Women In Football, which is dedicated to advancing women’s ambitions within the game, responded to Keegan’s remarks on Thursday and called on him to think twice before speaking due to the consequences such remarks can have.
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“Kevin Keegan seems to be advocating a kind of gender apartheid in football, whereby the men’s game can only be discussed by men, and ‘ladies’ are banished to a separate room,” a statement from the group said. “Like everyone else he’s entitled to an opinion, but on social media the trolls and abusers are already out in force to applaud him.
“Women in Football’s survey earlier this year found that 82% of women working in the game have experienced discrimination at work, including sexism, sexual harassment and derogatory comments on ability based on gender. And let’s not forget the actions perpetrated by Luis Rubiales immediately after the Women’s World Cup final just a few weeks ago.
“In this context Keegan and people of a similar mindset have a moral obligation to keep their opinions to themselves, rather than add weight to the narrative that enables online abuse and threats of violence every day simply for doing their job.”
Joey Barton, the Bristol Rovers manager, said Keegan was “bang on”. But Lianne Sanderson, the former Lioness, posted: “I won’t be doing any interviews about Kevin Keegan’s comments … But I would absolutely ‘Love it’ if he would shut up!”
Women’s football remains a magnet for social media abuse, with current and former players frequently targeted. Two years ago the former England international Karen Carney deleted her account on the social media platform formerly known as Twitter after she received a barrage of online abuse over remarks she made on TV about the men’s Leeds United side.
On Thursday, in a message posted on the same network, Women In Football also made a further observation on Keegan’s remarks: “There is more than one reason why Keegan is seen as an icon of the 1970s.”
