January 6th 2024.
Joey Barton has been in hot water again. This time, the former Newcastle United and Manchester City footballer has accused ITV of 'covering up the Phillip Schofield scandal', after the broadcaster launched a staunch defence of their female football pundits Lucy Ward and Eni Aluko.
In their coverage of Crystal Palace's FA Cup third round tie against Everton, Barton compared Aluko, a former England international, and respected co-commentator Ward to two of Britain's most notorious serial killers, Fred and Rose West. This prompted ITV to respond with a forceful statement, admonishing Barton and championing their continued promotion of women in their coverage of the sport.
Gary Neville, who appeared as an analyst for ITV during last year's World Cup, applauded the statement, and responded by saying: "My daughters have watched Salford City with me for 10 years and like to comment on football, my mum was kicked out of the football team and stopped playing due to misogyny, my sister struggled for funding for her sport for years and my brother was mocked when he took over the England women's team. I come from a family that has fought these issues for years and I've witnessed it first hand. All this does is just discourage and it's not the way forward. It's bloody hard work for Women to succeed in sport and media as it is without this stuff."
Unsurprisingly, Barton didn't take kindly to Neville's response, and admonished him before warning the former Manchester United captain that he would 'get emptied'. He then turned his ire on ITV, tweeting "Is this the same @ITV @itvfootball that tried to cover up Phillip Schofield... Asking for a friend?"
It was in May last year that Phillip Schofield resigned from ITV with 'immediate effect' after admitting to an affair with a younger male employee. The veteran 61-year-old presenter was forced to leave the channel altogether after confessing to an 'unwise but not illegal' relationship.
It's clear that the wider debate around women in football will continue, and it's a discussion that needs to be had. This latest episode highlights the need for continued investment in female sport, as well as a commitment to making sure that everyone is treated equally. As Emma Hayes put it: "The more we talk about it, the more it will change."
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