“They’ve made me up my game”
Ian Wright says he is embarrassed at the sexist abuse received by female football pundits.
The former Arsenal and England striker, who has appeared regularly in punditry roles since his retirement, told the Game Changers podcast that the professionalism of the female pundits he has worked alongside in recent years had helped him improve in the role, and that he has been alarmed by the abuse some of them have had to contend with.
“I’m embarrassed by it [the abuse],” Wright said.
“I feel for them because they’ve got no wiggle room. When they’re on the television, if they say anything wrong they’re taken to the cleaners. People want them cancelled and it’s unfair.
“When women come on, they know that they are under amazing pressure because people are looking to find fault with anything they say. So they’re very, very prepared.”
Karen Carney was on the receiving end of abuse in January after a tweet from Leeds United questioned her punditry following comments about their promotion back to the Premier League. She later deleted her Twitter account as a result.
Wright stressed that despite such abuse, female pundits were worthy of their roles.
“They’ve made me up my game,” he said. “When you listen to what they say, they make you have to research more, and that’s what it’s about.
“They shouldn’t be put off by it because they’re doing the work to be on there. They deserve to be on there.”
