Karen Carney DELETES Twitter account after Leeds tweet mocking Amazon Prime pundit sparks sexist fan backlash
KAREN CARNEY has deleted her Twitter account after receiving a torrent of sexist abuse following Leeds United’s tweet mocking her on Tuesday night.
The Amazon Prime pundit gave her opinion on the Whites prior to their 5-0 win over West Brom, questioning whether they would have been promoted if the pandemic hadn’t delayed last season.
Within the clip, former Leeds star Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink can be heard saying ‘spot on’ in agreement with Carney’s opinion.
But when Leeds decided to tweet out a clip of the exchange after their subsequent victory, it was Carney, 33, that was opened up to all kinds of abuse from mindless internet trolls.
And the 144-cap former England international has now opted to delete her account, which had 78,000 followers.
Rio Ferdinand has called for his former club to delete the tweet, while US football icon Megan Rapinoe has also stuck up for Carney.
Leeds have doubled down, however, refusing to delete their post – which told how they won the Championship by ten points – and insisting that the tweet ‘wasn’t offensive’.
Owner Andrea Radrizzani told talkSPORT’s Jim White: “I’m very sorry Karen was abused on social media. I wanted to defend my club and our players from a comment, which I felt was harsh from Karen on air.
“Our tweet wasn’t offensive — simply stating that we won the league by 10 points.”
A club spokesperson added: “Leeds United completely condemns any abuse received by Karen Carney on social media following last night’s Premier League game with West Bromwich Albion.
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“Everyone at our club respects Karen greatly for all she has achieved in the game, as well as her work in the media and the charity work she undertakes.”
Women In Football released a statement condemning the post.
It read: “Whether you agree with the comment or not, singling out and ridiculing an individual on an official club account is not what we’re here for.
“Karen Carney is a well-informed pundit. This tweet is inciteful & inappropriate. Not a good look now, or at any time.”
According to The Times, Leeds have reached out to Carney over the matter and have invited her to their training ground to produce a TV report ahead of their FA Cup third-round clash with Crawley Town next week.