Carney gets Ell of reaction
LEEDS UNITED should be bigger than reacting to a pundit’s opinions on their Twitter account.
But seeing the rebirth of the club, a hard-earned promotion and the transformative work of Marcelo Bielsa trashed by an ill-informed comment from a match analyst live on TV must have been infuriating.
The classy thing to do would be to roll with the punch delivered by ex-england player Karen Carney.
Better to rise above and revel in Tuesday’s 5-0 against West Brom.
Instead, Leeds sent out a post, with a puzzled face emoji, of Carney (below), claiming they’d only got promoted because of Covid, the recharging break preventing them from blowing up.
It has opened up football’s version of culture wars.
Agree or disagree – I side with Leeds on this because they’d won five in a row before lockdown – Carney has done her job.
She’d raised a disputable, but valid, debating point. She’d stirred opinion. She’d provided a viral clip for the TV company that pay her. Then gender was brought into play. Had Leeds’ tweet deliberately and knowingly provoked sexist criticism of Carney, leading to a Dark Ages anti-woman pile-on?
Or simply shown equality by giving her the same treatment they dished out to Gabby Agbonlahor previously?
In showing support for Carney, too many veered towards suggesting she shouldn’t be criticised. That to dispute, and dismantle, her opinion, was sexist, or abuse. That view infantilizes women. Carney is bright enough to cope with folk respectfully disagreeing.
If a female pundit makes a claim they can’t back up in fact, there’ll be a backlash, the same as if it came from Gary Neville or Roy Keane.
What trailblazers like Carney should not be subject to is sexist abuse, which can’t be defended.
The last word...
TONY PULIS lasted 45 days at Sheffield Wednesday. Owner Dejphon Chansiri has complained that too many fans are “always negative”.
“Even when we win, always negative or whatever. I want to know what they are doing for this club, beside moaning or being negative.”
He’s got a point. Football is increasingly a vehicle for venting dissatisfaction. In 2021, can there be more considered perspectives and a bit of slack cut to those striving in sport when it doesn’t go right?