Neville apologises and clarifies sexist social media posts

Matt Stead

Phil Neville has apologised for the sexist tweets that have come back to embarrass the new England Women head coach.

The former England defender faced criticised within hours of his appointment being confirmed on Tuesday over messages he posted in 2012.

In one tweet, he said he expected women not to have been reading his Twitter messages but to have been ‘preparing breakfast/getting kids ready/making the beds’.

Neville appeared to delete his Twitter account, @fizzer18, after the comments came to light.

His new employer, the Football Association, issued a statement from Neville on Wednesday that read: “Following comments made a number of years ago I would like to clarify that they were not and are not a true and genuine reflection of either my character or beliefs, and would like to apologise.

“I am fully aware of my responsibilities as the England Women’s head coach and am immensely proud and honoured to have been given the role. I am now looking forward to the future and will work tirelessly to try and help bring success to the team.”

The Women’s Sport Trust charity has said the appointment of new England Women boss Neville “undermines the coaching pathway and will be a blow to hundreds of football coaches, both male and female”.

Former England defender Neville was installed as the Lionesses manager on Tuesday despite having no previous experience of working in the women’s game.

The WST has also said it is “saddened” by the emergence of controversial tweets from the new manager’s past.

The WST said on Wednesday: “Our national women’s team deserve the very best coach available to fulfil their enormous potential and inspire millions of men and women.

“To see a high profile, former professional footballer virtually parachuted in to such a significant role in football without the level of experience required, undermines the coaching pathway and will be a blow to hundreds of football coaches, both male and female, currently working towards their badges at all levels.”

It added that the appointment shows the limited numbers of female coaches “at the highest level”.

Addressing Neville’s social media output, the WST added: “We are also saddened by Phil Neville’s historical tweets and the lack of comment about this from the FA. In the age of MeToo and TimesUp, all individuals and organisations must be more aware of past sexist behaviour and respond to it appropriately.”

Kick It Out chief executive Roisin Wood said in a statement that Neville’s appointment “raises more questions than answers” for the FA.

“Kick It Out have serious concerns over a recruitment process that has resulted in the appointment of someone with no record of management or experience in women’s football, and are making representations to the FA to ensure the governing body is transparent and accountable for their decision,” Wood said.

Wood added: “In light of recent action taken in response to historical social media comments made by current football participants, the question must now be asked – will the FA be charging Neville for posting discriminatory comments on social media?

“Kick It Out has supported the recent steps the FA has undertaken to ensure that going forward, the governing body’s equality and diversity practices will be up to standard and will help football reflect the multicultural society in which we live.

“However, we believe that if the FA wants to recover the confidence of the public, it must ensure that the concerns surrounding Phil Neville’s appointment are comprehensively addressed.”