WATCH ABOVE: Fresh off their commanding win over Japan to capture the FIFA Women’s World Cup – the United States squad is back on home soil and ready to celebrate at a rally in Los Angeles. Brittney Hopper reports.
TORONTO — The English women’s soccer team brought home the bronze from the Women’s World Cup on Monday, but the Lionesses’ historic victory has been overshadowed by a major social media fail.
The official account of England’s national football teams came under attack after posting the following on Twitter:
“Our lionesses go back to being mothers, partners, and daughters today, but they have taken on another title – heroes.”
The tweet has since been deleted. Not before it was forever immortalized in screen shots, though, providing ample opportunity for many to express their outrage at what they consider to be blatant sexism.
https://twitter.com/MartinBelam/status/618036566003449857
https://twitter.com/Lee_T_Jenkins/status/618040909276393472
James Callow, the content editor at The Football Association, later owned up to the tweet, posting the following “sorry, not sorry” message on his personal account:
“Sorry if I caused offence. The piece is intended to sum up a nice moment when players are reunited with their families,” he wrote.
It’s not the first time England has been the subject of social media ridicule during the Women’s World Cup. A couple weeks ago, it was about a much-needed comma.
https://twitter.com/GlenJM/status/614076690826985472
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Nor is this the first time sexism reared its ugly head during the tournament. When the games kicked off, the Edmonton Sun posted an article titled, “The hottest women at the World Cup.”
The photos were all taken from the athletes’ personal Instagram accounts. Last year, the paper did the same thing for the men — except only the men’s official (i.e. fully clothed) photos were used.
READ MORE: ‘Everyday Sexism’ a global phenomenon
As for the FIFA Women’s World Cup itself, the tournament wrapped up on Sunday after Team USA demolished Japan 5-2 in the final. This is how the U.S. soccer organization commemorated the win:
When it comes to money, the U.S. women’s soccer team — now three-time champions — still earns four times less than its male counterparts.
England won its bronze after beating Germany, the number-one ranked team heading into the tournament. It was the first time England beat Germany in 31 years. It came close to advancing to the final, but lost 2-1 to Japan.
The most recent notable performance from the English men’s team, meanwhile, was in 1990 when the team finished fourth in Italy.
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