Kevin Keegan should know better than to make sexist comments about ‘lady footballers’

Have we stepped back in time 60 years? No, sadly not. We’ve just witnessed yet another male former footballer drop an absolute clanger of what sounds very much like a sexist remark in public. It’s like a seriously bad case of déjà vu.

This time, it’s former England manager Kevin Keegan, who told an audience of fans he does not like listening to “lady footballers” talk about the England men’s team. According to The Times, the 72-year-old said: “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 presenters we have now, some of the girls are so good, they are better than the guys. It’s a great time for the ladies. But if I see an England lady footballer saying about England against Scotland at Wembley and she’s saying, ‘If I would have been in that position I would have done this,’ I don’t think it’s quite the same. I don’t think it crosses over that much.”

Now Keegan, to be fair, hasn’t put too many proverbial feet wrong in the past. Unlike (ahem) a good handful of other former England managers who’ve found themselves in boiling hot water more than once... (Messrs Hoddle and Allardyce spring to mind most readily, albeit not for sexist remarks).

I’d really like to be able to give Keegan the benefit of the doubt here. I strongly suspect that “in the moment” he mistakenly assumed – surrounded by friends, fans and family as he delivered his after-dinner speech in Bristol – that he had found himself a “safe place” in which he could give an honest opinion or two.

How wrong he was. In today’s world of social media and an increasing awareness of misogynistic behaviour in football, there is absolutely no “safe place” in which you can openly say you have a problem with “lady footballers” talking about the England men’s team, and expect no consequences.

In my opinion, rather than being “thoughtless” or even “banter”, Keegan’s comments fall somewhere between misogyny and naivety. Even the words he used – “lady footballers” – prove him a dinosaur.

It really makes me wonder where he’s been for the past few years. Has he completely missed the rise and rise of women’s football in this country after our glorious Lionesses won the Euros? What about what we’ve all recently been through with Jenni Hermoso and Luis Rubiales – and the backlash from what Hermoso described as that “non-consensual” kiss? Hasn’t Keegan learned anything?

I work in communications, and looking at this incident purely from a PR standpoint, this is one of the basics Keegan’s advisors would – and should – have drilled home with him over the years: never, ever, ever say anything out loud that you wouldn’t want to read back in black and white print the next day.

There is, of course, no comparison between what Hermoso says Rubiales did and what Keegan said. Keegan may well claim a “mad moment”, but my worry is, as it does for so many men, it may run deeper than that. From the likes of Laurence Fox and his overtly misogynistic comments, to those who have silently sexist views on women – there is never an excuse.

And are we expected to believe that someone as high-profile, experienced and well respected as Keegan would make a casual “mistake” in turning his nose up at the idea of women commentating on mens’ football matches? An error of judgement – from someone who has been in the sport for decades? Really?

What is it about football (and former footballers), anyway? Despite being a passionate fan of the game myself – spending years of my youth on the terraces of White Hart Lane with my dad and staying up late to watch Match of the Day religiously on Saturday nights – I can’t help but remain completely astounded at the continuing lack of acceptance in the men’s game.

Men’s football continues to be tribal, divisive and distinctly non-inclusive. The culture is built on “fitting in” – and if you’re different, you’ll suffer. That’s why, even now, the Premier League and FIFA still have to run high profile campaigns to combat racism on the terraces and social media. It’s the same reason why – even in 2023 – not one single Premier League footballer has felt able to admit to being gay.

How do other sports seem to manage all this without the same issues? Nobody finds it odd when Denise Lewis is commenting on the men’s 100m final. Nobody questions Martina Navratilova commentating on the Wimbledon men’s final. These are knowledgeable, intelligent women with interesting things to say.

So why can’t Keegan be the same? Why is change and progressive acceptance so difficult to achieve in men’s football, specifically?

And if you’re tempted to think this is just a few old men who need to catch up with the times, listen carefully. I winced recently as one former footballer-turned-pundit used the phrase, “It’s a man’s game” on live TV. You could see the female pundit sitting next to him visibly flinch at the words. As he realised his cringe-worthy error, he attempted to cover it off with a wink and a nudge and an, “Ah, you know what I mean!”

No, actually. We don’t know what you mean. Football isn’t a “man’s game” – and the sooner men’s football (and all of those involved in it) realise that, the sooner the sport will be able to call itself tolerant, open and inclusive. At the moment, it’s none of those.

Men’s football has some serious questions to answer, and some careful introspection to do. And it’s not just the fans (who tend to take most of the blame) – as this example with Keegan shows us, these outdated attitudes run right to the top.

Ultimately, it’s a problematic mindset that runs deeply through the world of men’s football. And we need to stamp it out.