The national coach of the Northern Ireland women’s soccer team has caused discussions with statements about the alleged emotionality of players.
There is a pattern in women’s football, Kenny Shiels said after his team lost 5-0 to England. “If a team concedes a goal, they concede another very quickly,” Shiels said. “It runs through all of women’s football because girls and women are more emotional than men. If they concede a goal, then they don’t take it well.”
Shiels apologized for his statements during the press conference. “I’m sorry if I offended anyone,” he said. “I’m proud to coach a group of players who are role models for so many girls – and boys too – across the country.”
Northern Ireland had conceded their first goal in the 26th minute, and in the second half they conceded four in less than half an hour. The 65-year-old called the second goal conceded such an “emotional goal”. Shiel’s team had previously conceded three goals in nine minutes in the 3-1 draw in Austria. Northern Ireland missed out on qualifying for the World Cup.
Shiels already suspected during the press conference that he would be criticized for his statements. “Maybe I shouldn’t have told you that,” he said after his remarks, which included criticism from former England international and Arsenal striker Ian Wright. Wright wrote on Twitter that Shiel was talking “stupid stuff,” and joked, “Didn’t the man see how many times I cried on the field?”
Former England goalkeeper Siobhan Chamberlain warned Shiels to be aware of the impact his words could have, stressing that in men’s football, shortly after a goal, another goal is just as likely as in women’s football. “And now to generalize that for women is a really bizarre comment,” Chamberlain said.