Emma Hayes points to 'systemic misogyny' and 'male privilege' after ...

Updated 08/12/2023 at 19:19 GMT

Chelsea manager Emma Hayes has said that women face “systemic misogyny and bullying” following comments made by Joey Barton.

Former footballer Barton appeared on Piers Morgan’s talk show to hit out at what he perceived to be “the woke agenda” that he sees in women pundits and presenters on men’s football.

Barton had been back in the news for saying that women "should not be talking with any kind of authority" about men's football.

Hayes is one of the most successful managers in football and has often performed media duties covering men's and women's games.

Speaking at a press conference she was asked about Barton’s comments, and she said: "The realities are male privilege has always been at the centre of football in this country.

"I feel that sport is the last place in society where that male privilege exists."

She continued: "I don't expect any individual to understand their privilege. Nonetheless you only have to see scores of women across the internet or in the business - whether that's coaches, presenters, players - we're routinely used to dealing with systemic misogyny, bullying and behaviour that has been pretty normal for a large part of the football public."

Hayes, who is due to leave Chelsea at the end of the current season to take over at the United States women’s team, has six Women’s Super League titles to her name.

"If you haven't experienced systemic misogyny, like lots of us have, you can't for one moment understand how detrimental some of these conversations are knowing that anything anyone says just enables an absolute pile on, particularly on social media," she continued.

"When it comes to the sport of football in this case, we have to remember that society isn't always as well represented across the media or across the game in coaching or playing."

Hayes explained why she did not think that comments such as Barton’s stood up to scrutiny.

She said: "We wouldn't go into a hospital and have a female physician who's carrying out a surgical procedure on someone's kidney - we wouldn't turn around and say to that surgeon 'I hope she's a good patient because being a good patient means you're going to be a good doctor'.

"It's the same about being a great banker - does that mean you have to be a frugal spender to be a good banker?

"Much in the same way, do you have to be a well-travelled passenger to be a good pilot?"

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