Minister vows to act over ex-footballer Joey Barton’s social media rants about soccer pundits
9 January 2024, 14:50
Sports minister Stuart Andrew has vowed to intervene with social media platforms following Joey Barton’s “dangerous comments” about female football commentators.
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The former Manchester City and Newcastle midfielder sparked fury with a string of derogatory and misogynistic comments on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.
Recently he compared Eni Aluko and Lucy Ward to the serial killers Fred and Rose West.
Read More: Alex Scott breaks silence on Joey Barton after ex-Premier League star’s tirade about female pundits
It is though Barton may have made the comments to gain publicity ahead of the launch of a new podcast.
Andrew responded at a Department for Culture, Media and Sport select committee after being questioned about the issue by the Sunderland MP Julie Elliott, who said the posts were “very, very disturbing” and that the podcast was due to be hosted by Facebook/Meta.
Elliott asked Andrew: “What do you think can be done from a government point of view to actually bring pressure on these social media companies not to support people who put out things that are so offensive and so disgusting, as he has done?”
The sports minister said he condemned Barton’s remarks adding: “These are dangerous comments that open the floodgates for abuse and that’s not acceptable.
“I’m slightly wary that these sort of people want the oxygen and I don’t want to fuel that.”
