Ian Wright has hit back at Kenny Shiels after the Northern Ireland Women manager claimed "girls and women are more emotional than men".
Shiels comments came after his team lost 5-0 to England in front of a crowd of 15,348 at Windsor Park on Tuesday evening - a record attendance for a women's match in Northern Ireland. He has since apologised.
The result means Northern Ireland cannot qualify for next year's World Cup. England, meanwhile, are on the brink of reaching the tournament in Australia and New Zealand. They've won all eight of their qualifiers and need just a point against either Austria or Luxembourg in September to confirm their spot.
"I felt [England] were struggling a wee bit at times to open us up until the psychology of going 2-0 up in the women's game," said Shiels at full-time. "I'm sure you will have noticed if you go through the patterns - when a team concedes a goal, they concede a second one in a very, very short space of time.
"[It happens] 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."
The manager went on to say: "When we went 1-0 down we tried to slow it down to give them time to get that emotional imbalance out of their heads. That's an issue we have. Not just in Northern Ireland but all of the countries in the world."
Shiels issued an apology on Wednesday morning. "I wish to apologise for my comments made in the post-match press conference last night," he said. "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."
Shiels has been criticised by many for his initial comments, including Wright. The former Arsenal striker, who is a regular pundit on ITV's coverage of England Women internationals, pointed out the number of times male players have cried on the pitch.
"Kenny Shiels talking foolishness!" tweeted Wright on Wednesday morning. "Talking about emotional women! Didn't that man see how many times I was crying on the PITCH!"
And former England goalkeeper Siobhan Chamberlain told BBC Radio 5 Live: "I think we all know that the five minutes after you concede a goal - not just in women's football, [also] in men's football - you're more likely to concede a goal. To just generalise that to women is a slightly bizarre comment.
"When you give post-match news conferences when you're feeling emotional after a big game, it's important to make sure that you are speaking sensibly and are aware of the message that your words can carry."
Shiels, 65, is a vastly experienced coach after taking charge of several Northern Irish clubs during the last 30 years, winning the League of Ireland Cup at Derry City in 2018. He's also managed in Scotland, leading Kilmarnock to Scottish League Cup glory in 2012.
This time last year, Shiels was praised after Northern Ireland qualified for this summer's Euros - the country's first major women's international tournament. In an ironically emotional interview, he described it as the "best ever sporting achievement in the UK".
"You have to take this in its context," said Shiels. "We look at Rory McIlroy and Steven Davis and what they have done for Northern Ireland, and this here is far and away the best ever sporting achievement for Northern Ireland, and for the UK actually.
"These are amateur players, 16 of the panel play in the Irish League for the likes of Glentoran, Linfield, Cliftonville and Crusaders. I am so grateful to the clubs but they are playing against players who play for the top teams in Europe. It is incredible what they have achieved, incredible. Unbelievable.
I look at my staff and there are grown men crying and I am nearly in bits myself, but it is down to the girls at the end of the day. When I came in in 2019 the girls were traumatised and I was the new face. I might have helped a little bit but they were self-driven and they took it on."
