08 December 2023 , 16:23
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Former England international Joey Barton has once again been slammed following a series of vile and misogynistic social media posts.
Barton, 41, has been on a tirade this week, claiming that women shouldn't be given certain roles in men's football, including as commentators, pundits and within clubs. After a 12-hour social media rant which began on Wednesday, the ex- Manchester City, Newcastle, Rangers and Burnley midfielder appeared on Piers Morgan Uncensored to double down on his views, and in one segment was challenged by former Sky Sports reporter Bianca Westwood.
On Friday, Barton continued to spark fury after saying that having women in certain footballing roles is "dangerous," while alleging women within the game have been responsible for having affairs which have cost marriages, something which he claims happens "all the time." The 41-year-old then challenged both Westwood and TNT presenter Laura Woods, who called him out on Thursday, to debate him.
Barton ended his post by provoking the pair, who he says are "unqualified" to talk about the men's game, despite their extensive experience in journalism and broadcasting.
Fans of clubs up and down the country took issue with his latest set of 'anti-woke' comments on X, formerly known as Twitter. "Shut up, Joey," one simply wrote. "This reeks of desperation," another added.
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"So you went from female commentators to female staff. Which one is it Joey?" a third asked, with another user replying: "I think he just has an issue with women."
"Have you got lost again in the 21st century, fella?" one user joked. "Something about women existing really intimidates mediocre men," another cuttingly said.
Joey Barton appeared on Thursday's episode of Piers Morgan Uncensored, debating Bianca Westwood (second in from the right) (Piers Morgan Uncensored)The night before reigniting his social media storm, Barton was given a chance to air his views during an interview with Piers Morgan. Speaking on Morgan's TalkTV show, the ex-Bristol Rovers and Fleetwood Town manager argued: "Everywhere you turn now there's an unqualified opinion commentating and pontificating about the sport I love. It's ruining my experience and it's all to fuel this woke agenda. And if we're not careful, sexism will rise. It has to be a meritocracy to get people qualified to do these roles."
Barton added: "I'm against tokenism and poor journalistic standards - especially when it comes to football. I know it's everyone's game but there’s different variants with the men's and women's game. And all of a sudden if you speak out in favour of saying a 'men's game'.... I've been accused of being right wing just for saying what a lot are thinking about journalistic standards."