Maybe he was the emotional one.
The coach of Northern Ireland’s women’s soccer team apologized Wednesday for claiming that women concede goals in rapid succession because they are “more emotional than men.”
Kenny Shiels, 65, made the old-school statement at a postmatch press conference after his team lost, 5-0, to England on Tuesday, a result that eliminated them from World Cup qualifying.
“If you go through the patterns, when a team concedes a goal they concede a second one in a very, very short period of time, right through the whole spectrum of the women’s game, because girls and women are more emotional than men,” Shiels said.
The remarks were quickly met with public criticism, including from former England and Arsenal striker Ian Wright.
“Kenny Shiels talking foolishness! Talking about emotional women! Didn’t that man see how many times I was crying on the PITCH!” Wright wrote in a tweet, which included two photos of him crying on the pitch.
In the 5-0 loss, Northern Ireland allowed a goal in the 26th minute, but England’s second tally didn’t occur until the 52nd minute. The English then scored three more in a 27-minute span.
Such a scoreline isn’t uncommon in men’s or women’s soccer, especially when a less talented team, such as the No. 46-ranked Northern Ireland squad, needs to come back against a highly rated team like No. 8-ranked England.
“I wish to apologize for my comments made in the postmatch press conference last night. I am sorry for the offense that they have caused,” Shiels said in a statement released through Northern Ireland’s soccer association.
The 5-0 England victory in Belfast was attended by 15,348 fans, the most ever for a women’s soccer match in Northern Ireland.
