Kevin Keegan has been dubbed a “dinosaur” for his “archaic, nonsensical and uneducated” remarks about women pundits analysing the England men’s team.
The former England manager made the comments to a room of around 250 people at an event called ‘An Evening With Kevin Keegan’ in Bristol last week, saying he had a “problem” with “an England lady footballer” giving their opinions on men’s football.
In comments reported by The Times, Keegan said: “I’m not as keen, I’ve got to be honest, and it may not be a view shared. I don’t like to listen to ladies talking about the England men’s team at the match because I don’t think it’s the same experience. I have a problem with that.”
The 72-year-old’s views have sparked a backlash among some of the country’s most influential female figures in the game, with the charity of Women in Football accusing him of “gender apartheid.”
Former England striker-turned-pundit Eni Aluko, who represented her country more than 100 times, likened Keegan to a “dinosaur”.
“The great thing is the leading football broadcasters and producers both in UK and internationally do not hold the archaic, nonsensical, uneducated view that Kevin Keegan has expressed about female pundits,” Aluko told Telegraph Sport. “No one wants to hire dinosaurs so his view is really his problem.”
Keegan’s comments, which follow the Luis Rubiales sexism row that rocked Spain and the footballing world, come months after research from Women in Football found that discrimination towards women in football is at an all-time high.
Findings from the campaign group released in July this year showed that 82 per cent of women working in the game have experienced discrimination, which includes sexism, sexual harassment and derogatory comments on ability based on
‘Keegan has moral obligation to keep opinion to himself’
Yvonne Harrison, the CEO of Women in Football, claimed that Keegan’s comments were symptomatic of widespread misogyny faced by women within the game.
“Kevin Keegan seems to be advocating a kind of gender apartheid in football, whereby the men’s game can only be discussed by men, and ‘ladies’ are banished to a separate room,” Harrison said. “Like everyone else, he’s entitled to an opinion. But on social media the trolls and abusers are already out in force to applaud him.
“And let’s not forget the actions perpetrated by Luis Rubiales immediately after the Women’s World Cup final just a few weeks ago.
“In this context Keegan and people of a similar mindset have a moral obligation to keep their opinions to themselves, rather than add weight to the narrative that enables online abuse and threats of violence against women every day simply for doing their job.”
Meanwhile, leading football broadcaster Jacqui Oatley, who has spent more than two decades commentating on men’s football, said Keegan’s assessment that only men are qualified to comment on Gareth Southgate’s team was out of touch.
“Kevin is more than entitled to his opinion. Mine happens to differ, as I think football broadcasting has moved on from only using pundits with the exact same background as the players,” said Oatley.
“The ability to articulate a point based on broader experience is just as valid. For example, Ian Wright has never been denied the right to play football due to his gender and he never played in a major international tournament, yet he’s an excellent pundit whose opinion is greatly valued by viewers – an ideal choice to be part of the ITV panel at the Fifa Women’s World Cup final.
“Lee Dixon also never played in a major tournament but has been a regular World Cup and Euros pundit for a couple of decades due to his wider experience and ability. It’s also worth noting that the viewing demographic is far more diverse than when Kevin was playing, so it makes sense for the broadcasters to reflect that in their line-ups.”
