Kevin Keegan says he doesn't 'like to listen to ladies talking about England's men’s games'

Reports say that the comments made by the former England manager were met with applause from the audience. Credit: PA

Kevin Keegan has said he believes "lady footballers” are not qualified to express opinions about the men’s international game.

The former England manager made the comment at 'An Evening With Kevin Keegan' event in Bristol last week, where he also stressed he was a big supporter of the women’s game.

In quotes reported by The Times, the 72-year-old said: “I don’t like to listen to ladies talking about the England men’s team at the match because I don’t think it’s the same experience.

“I have a problem with that."

Arsenal and England defender Leah Williamson honoured with OBE at Windsor Castle

He added: “The presenters we have now, some of the girls are so good, they are better than the guys. It’s a great time for the ladies.

“But if I see an England lady footballer saying about England against Scotland at Wembley and she’s saying, ‘If I would have been in that position I would have done this,’ I don’t think it’s quite the same.

"I don’t think it crosses over that much.”

Reports say the comments were met with applause from the audience.

Keegan did also argue that "it is a great time for the ladies’ game.”

He added: “When I was England manager I went to coach the England ladies and I had this perception of what the quality would be like and they were so much better than I thought they were going to be.”

Former England legends such as Alex Scott, Eni Aluko and Jill Scott are among pundits who work across the men's game.

Despite the recent successes of England's women's team - namely winning the 2022 Euro's - attitudes have remained contentious.

Scott was directly targeted in online abuse on Wednesday after a photo was circulated of her sat alongside Gary Neville, David Beckham, Jamie Carragher, Ian Wright and Roy Keane, on the "Stick to Football" podcast.

"No disrespect to Jill Scott but how's she managed to get a seat at this table," a football fan wrote on the social media platform X, formerly Twitter.

The post garnered millions of views and accrued over 17,000 likes.

However, hundreds of critics came to Scotts' defence and rebutted the comment.

Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know...