Campaign group Women in Football has applauded ITV for the broadcaster’s criticism of Joey Barton – and called on employers in the football industry to stand by their female employees in “the current epidemic of misogynistic abuse”.
Former Manchester City midfielder Barton described ITV pundits Eni Aluko and Lucy Ward as “the Fred and Rose West of football commentary” on X, formerly Twitter, following the channel’s coverage of Crystal Palace’s FA Cup draw with Everton on Thursday.
ITV Sport said in a statement on X: “For Joey Barton, an ex-professional player with a significant social media presence, to target two of our pundits, Eni Aluko and Lucy Ward, with such vindictive remarks based on gender and to invoke the names of serial killers in doing so is clearly contemptible and shameful on his part. Football is for everyone.”
Responding to ITV’s emphatic criticism of Barton, Women in Football released its own statement.
It read: “Women in Football applauds the powerful statement made by ITV Sport against the vile slurs directed at Eni Aluko and Lucy Ward on social media.
“We call on all employers in the football industry to show the same support for their female employees, and take all possible measures to ensure their well-being in the current epidemic of misogynistic abuse.
“As the leading agency driving gender equality in football we stand with all those who suffer such abuse.
“We urge all those across the industry who are on the side of progress, fairness and decency to join Women in Football for free and be part of our far-reaching network of support.”
Barton, 41, was sacked by Bristol Rovers last year, having previously managed Fleetwood, following a playing career which also took in Newcastle, Rangers, Marseille, QPR and Burnley.
Aluko played more than 100 times for England and represented Team GB at the London Olympics, while Ward is a former Leeds and Doncaster player.
Al Ittihad 1-0 Al Ahli: Al Shehri nets winner as Blanc's side match leaders Al Hilal
Saleh Al Shehri scored the only goal of the game as Al Ittihad edged Jeddah rivals Al Ahli to go level on points with Saudi Pro League leaders Al Hilal.
Al Shehri turned in a cross from Moussa Diaby in the 42nd minute to give Laurent Blanc’s side a 1-0 lead in the derby, while Diaby was denied the chance to double that advantage in the closing stages by the woodwork.
Matthias Jaissle’s Al Ahli thought they had scored an equaliser through their captain Franck Kessie in the 59th minute only for the goal to be ruled out for offside after a VAR review.
Al Ahli had also gone close in the 51st minute when Ivan Toney rounded Al Ittihad goalkeeper Predrag Rajkovic, but his strike was brilliantly cleared off the line by Abdulelah Al Amri.
Blanc’s side generated an expected goals (xG) total of 1.06 with four of their 12 efforts on target, while Al Ahli ended with an xG of 1.01 with three of their shots on target.
Al Ittihad have collected 24 points from nine matches - the same as defending champions Al Hilal who will face Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr on Friday.
Al Ahli, meanwhile, find themselves 13 points adrift of the summit in 11th place with just one win from their last five matches.
Al-Nassr 0-1 Al-Taawoun: Ronaldo misses stoppage-time penalty in last-16 cup defeat
Cristiano Ronaldo and Al-Nassr were knocked out of the King Cup of Champions at the last-16 stage, following a 1-0 defeat at home to Al-Taawoun.
Waleed Al-Ahmed got the winning goal for the visitors after 71 minutes, but Al-Nassr spurned a brilliant opportunity to draw level right at the end of the match when they were awarded a penalty.
But Ronaldo blasted the 96th-minute spot kick over the bar to hand victory to their opponents.
Both teams spent the first half struggling to create anything of note in an attacking sense, which did little to create a good spectacle.
Al-Taawoun looked more dangerous on the counter-attack, with the hosts indebted to a last-ditch tackle by Mohamad Simakan to snuff out a breakaway at the end of the first 45 minutes.
The second half followed a similar pattern to the first, with a set-piece goal required to open the scoring as Al-Ahmed headed in from a corner.
Al-Nassr were given a lifeline to keep their hopes alive with time running out, but Ronaldo was unable to convert the penalty.
Data Debrief: Al-Nassr fall the wrong side of tight margins
The result means it is now back-to-back matches in which Al-Nassr have failed to win, which is their first such run since August.
The match itself was a tight one, with Al-Nassr having five shots on target compared to Al-Taawoun's four.
In terms of actual chances, Al-Nassr had opportunities equalling 1.56 xG, although it is worth remembering 0.75 of that came from their penalty. Al-Taawoun, meanwhile, generated an xG of 0.59.
Al-Kholood 3-3 Al-Nassr: Talisca penalty spares visitors' blushes
Al-Nassr needed a late penalty from Talisca to salvage their unbeaten start to the Saudi Pro League season, drawing 3-3 with Al-Kholood at the King Abdullah Sport City Stadium.
With talisman Cristiano Ronaldo absent from the side, Al-Nassr missed the chance to go within a point of leaders Al-Hilal, who face Al-Okhdood later on Friday.
Al-Kholood stunned the visitors with just 12 minutes gone when Jackson Muleka picked out Myziane Maolida, with the striker riding a challenge before finishing beyond Bento.
But Stefano Pioli's side restored parity two minutes later when Aymeric Laporte notched his third goal in as many games with a guided header into the far corner.
Al-Nassr soon found themselves in front when Sadio Mane saw his effort saved by Marcelo Grohe, only for the rebound to fall kindly into the path of Talisca to finish.
However, it was then the hosts' turn to provide a quick response, with Maolida grabbing his second with a fine finish from the edge of the area to level the game at the break.
But in their attempts to find a winner, Al-Nassr were hit with a sucker punch when Muleka turned home from close range after good work from substitute Hammam Al Hammami.
Al-Kholood looked set to claim a famous victory until goalscorer Muleka was penalised for a handball in the box in the fifth minute of second-half stoppage time, with Talisca stepping up to snatch a point for the visitors.
Data Debrief: No Ronaldo, no party
While Al-Nassr salvaged a point late on, the performance further signified Ronaldo's importance to the team, with the Portugal captain having notched eight goal contributions (six goals, two assists) in his first seven games of the season.
The visitors did, however, have their chances. They ended the contest with an expected goals (xG) total of 2.76 from their 18 shots, though only eight of those efforts were on target.
But Al-Nassr were saved by the impressive Talisca. He contributed a whopping 1.82 xG to his side's total, while also registering more shots on target (four) than any of his team-mates.
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
