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TV presenter Laura Woods has criticized former soccer player Joey Barton for making a string of sexist comments on social media.
Barton has faced significant backlash for implying that women should not have any authority in discussions about men’s football.
The former England player, who was fired by Bristol Rovers in October, has reiterated his statement about X (previously known as Twitter), stating that “it’s impossible to watch a game without hearing ridiculous remarks.”
Sports broadcaster Woods hosts TNT’s broadcasts of both the Premier League and Champions League. He has also been a part of teams at ITV, talkSPORT, and Amazon.
She has alleged that Barton instigated a “pile on” with his statements.
“Joey’s entitled to his opinion,” Woods said on X. “If he feels that strongly about women in the men’s game he could ask for a private conversation with the broadcasters & state his case.
“Is the intention to incite others to join in the criticism of women simply doing their jobs through these tweets?”
Barton has been consistently posting about the issue for a second day, following his initial posts on social media during Prime Video’s coverage of Wednesday night’s Premier League games.
Barton initially expressed his belief that women should not have any authority in the men’s game, stating that the two are completely different.
Criticism has been directed towards Joey Barton’s statements.
“If you refuse to acknowledge this, we will continue to have differing perspectives. It’s great to see the women’s game flourishing. However, I cannot take anything said in the men’s arena seriously.”
Barton included a clip in his remarks of a post from Manchester City’s Instagram page which showed a female broadcaster making a minor mistake.
Barton has also implied that men who have criticized him and advocate for female broadcasters are “eunuchs”.
In response to the video, Woods indicated that although she and Barton had previously had a good relationship, his targeting of the young presenter was inappropriate.
She stated that she typically avoids these types of discussions because she does not want to add fuel to the fire. However, she believes that it is unjust to subject young vloggers to criticism and backlash.
“I began my vlogging career and Joey and I have always had a good relationship. He even sent me a kind message of good luck for TNT in June. Does this also suggest that he is a eunuch?”
Source: independent.co.uk
