Tuesday night, Northern Ireland’s women’s soccer team lost to England 5-0, a wide margin in soccer. According to The Guardian, Northern Ireland gave up four goals in the second half during a 27-minute stretch.
While the loss was certainly deflating, it was the comments by Northern Ireland manager Kenny Shiels which made headlines.
Shiels insinuated that women are more likely to give up multiple goals in quick succession because “girls and women are more emotional than men.”
“I thought we outwitted them for long periods until it was 2-0,” Shiels said after the loss. “We knew exactly what they were going to do before they did it. We spoke about it. I felt they were struggling a wee bit at times to open us up until the psychology of going 2-0 up in the women’s game.”
“I’m sure you will have noticed if you go through the patterns – when a team concedes a goal, they concede a second one in a very, very short space of time, right through the whole spectrum of the women’s game, because girls and women are more emotional than men,” Shiels continued. “So, they take a goal going in not very well. When we went 1-0 down we tried to slow it down to give them time to get that emotional imbalance out of their heads. That’s an issue we have. Not just in Northern Ireland but all of the countries in the world. I shouldn’t have told you that.”
Shiels comments immediately drew condemnation, including from former Arsenal soccer player Ian Wright.
“Kenny Shiels talking foolishness!” Wright posted to Twitter. “Talking about emotional women! Didn’t that man see how many times I was crying on the PITCH! Kmt.”
Kenny Shiels talking foolishness! Talking about emotional women ! Didn’t that man see how many times I was crying on the PITCH! kmt pic.twitter.com/gTKIpd3fV3
— Ian Wright (@IanWright0) April 13, 2022
“Hearing a man talking about women being too emotional in this day and age, I just felt like I’d gone back 30 years, to be perfectly honest with you,” Chief Executive of Women in Football Yvonne Harrison said.
On Wednesday, Shiels apologized for his comments, saying he’s an “advocate for the women’s game.”
“I wish to apologise for my comments made in the post-match press conference last night. I am sorry for the offence that they have caused,” said Shiels.
“Last night was a special occasion for the women’s game in Northern Ireland and I am proud to manage a group of players who are role models for so many girls, and boys, across the country,” Shiels continued. “I am an advocate for the women’s game and passionate about developing opportunities for women and girls to flourish.”
It’s the second time in as many days that a sports figure has found himself in trouble after making comments about women.
On Monday, video of free-agent NFL quarterback Cam Newton on the “Million Dollaz Worth of Game” podcast circled the internet, and Newton quickly found himself in hot water over his comments.
“I had a perfect, perfect example of what a man was by my father,” Newton said. “My parents have been together for 36, 37 years now, and it’s a beautiful thing. I grew up in a three-parent household — my mom, my father and my grandmother. And I knew what a woman was. Not a bad b****. A woman.”
Newton explained that a “bad b****” is a woman who “looks the part” but doesn’t “act the part.”
“And it’s a lot of women who are bad b******, and I say ‘b******’ in a way not to degrade a woman but just to go off the aesthetic of what they deem as a ‘boss chick,’” Newton continued. “A woman for me is handling your own but knowing how to cater to a man’s needs,” Newton continued. “I think a lot of times when you get that aesthetic of like ‘I’m a boss b****, I’m a this, I’m a that,’ no baby. But you can’t cook. You don’t know when to be quiet. You don’t know how to allow a man to lead.”
As expected, social media jumped all over Newton’s comments, though Newton did go on to explain that he feels that it’s time for “men to start being men.”
“I’m also going to start telling the men to start being men,” Newton added. “That sucka s*** should not be rewarded.”
“When a person carries himself social media wise, and it’s a fraud in real life,” Newton elaborated. “Every person that has money, every person that’s rich, isn’t a real one. And I think that gets kind of misconstrued in this society now, because a lot of people have money, but they’re not genuine people.”
Newton has yet to discuss his comments.
Joe Morgan is the Sports Reporter for The Daily Wire. Most recently, Morgan covered the Clippers, Lakers, and the NBA for Sporting News. Send your sports questions to [email protected].