Kenny Shiels apologises for saying 'women are more emotional than men'

The Northern Ireland manager had made the comments after last night's 5-0 loss to England which had ended the team's hopes of making the World Cup

12 April 2022; Northern Ireland manager Kenny Shiels speaks to players during the FIFA Women's World Cup 2023 qualifier match between Northern Ireland and England at National Stadium at Windsor Park in Belfast. Photo by Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile

Northern Ireland manager Kenny Shiels has issued an apology for remarks he made in a post-match press conference last night. Shiels said “women are more emotional than men” after last night’s 5-0 loss to England.

“In the women’s game you’ll have noticed if you go through the patterns, when a team concedes a goal they concede a second one within a very short period of time.

“Right through the whole spectrum of the women’s game, because girls and women are more emotional than men, so they take a goal going in not very well.”

Shiels apologised for the remarks in a statement issued today through the Northern Irish FA.

“I wish to apologise for my comments made in the post-match press conference last night. I am sorry for the offence that they have caused.

“Last night was a special occasion for the women’s game in Northern Ireland and I am proud to manage a group of players who are role models for so many girls, and boys, across the country.

“I am an advocate for the women's game and passionate about developing opportunities for women and girls to flourish.” 

Former Ireland captain Emma Byrne was among those who criticised Shiels’ comments. 

Speaking to Off the Ball, she said: “I’d be surprised if he is the manager for the next game to be honest.” 

“You can’t discriminate like that, it’s the one thing you don’t need in women’s football when it’s on the momentum, the trajectory (it is).

“For him to say that is ridiculous but the point is he’s thought about it a lot, he’s studied it. There was a lot of games where teams have conceded two goals in a short space of time, he’s decided to put it down to a fact of ’it must be emotions for women, it must be, what else can it be?’ which is absolutely ridiculous, it’s just so silly.

“I know a couple of those girls and I know they won’t be happy with that so I’ll be interested to see how that carries on.

“I think it’s ridiculous really to say that we concede consecutive goals because we’re emotional on the pitch - I think it’s a load of crap to be quite honest.

“I’m speaking personally, if we conceded a goal I was more determined to get it right and get possession back. I wasn’t emotional about the goals so to speak, I was emotional about getting myself back in the game or getting my team back in the game.

“In football in general, after you concede a goal the next few minutes are very important, whether you’re a man, woman, dog, whatever. It’s really important because the other team are elated, they’re confident, they feel stronger and you have to try and get the balance back from that but it’s not about being emotional. It’s about the flow of the game and the balance of the game.”