Joey Barton has criticised the crowning of Mary Earps as BBC Sports Personality of the Year.
The former manager, who was sacked by Bristol Rovers in October, claimed he would score “100 out of 100 penalties” against the England and Manchester United goalkeeper.
It was the second year running that a women’s footballer picked up the coveted prize, with Earps following her teammate and Euros star Beth Mead to receive the award at a ceremony in Salford, Manchester.
Barton initially tweeted: “Well done Mary.”
But he followed that up with a tweet saying: “Sports Personality of the Year! More f****** nonsense. Well done to all involved.”
He added: “So the best sports person this year is… A Women Goalie.
“Lost in a couple of finals this year. Not won a sausage. So popular that Nike didn’t even sell a replica jersey before tournament. You telling me all those who jumped on that bandwagon, haven’t voted in the BBC nonsense?
“Good luck to Mary. Hope she makes a few quid.”
It comes after Earps, 30, said she believed Nike now knows it was an “injustice” not to sell her shirt during the World Cup, which saw England lose to Spain in the final.
After mounting pressure, the sports brand released the England goalkeeper’s green long-sleeved Lionesses shirt only for it to sell out in five minutes.
Earps’ victory in the awards was widely celebrated, with the Prince of Wales, who is president of the Football Association, tweeting: “Hugely well deserved, Mary. Congratulations! W”
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Source: news.sky.com
This notice was published: 2023-12-20 13:35:00
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