GARY NEVILLE received vile sexist abuse from online Twitter trolls after swapping phones with England legend Jill Scott as part of a social media experiment.
Ex-Manchester United defender Neville, 48, and Lionesses 161-cap icon Scott, 36, exchanged mobiles in a Heineken study labelled “The Social Swap”.
And some of the responses Neville received while controlling Scott’s phone were harrowing as they demonstrated the sexism on Twitter.
In response to Neville posting about Champions League matches, one person said: “Get back in the kitchen, babe.”
Another replied: “You should probably concentrate on the girl’s league.”
A third added: “You finally agreed to marry me?”
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Yet another troll said: “Seems like your brain’s gone missing. Better leave football to the boys then luv.”
While another response read: “Save your opinions for what to make for dinner.”
Meanwhile, Scott, using Neville’s phone, got a reply saying: “The most objective opinion I’ve seen from you.”
Reacting to the experiment, Neville said: “The heated debates and rivalries are what makes football so exhilarating. But when negativity is linked to gender, this goes too far, especially from behind a screen.
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“By putting myself in Jill’s shoes and seeing the reaction, I have seen first-hand the uglier side of this sport that I love and want to make it clear that football is for everyone.
“On the pitch and online, we should treat each other with respect no matter our gender, race, sexuality or what colour shirt we’re wearing.”
And Scott added: “Attitudes have definitely changed, but there’s no doubt that female fans, pundits and players still get a lot more online negativity than men due to gender bias. You develop a thick skin – but we shouldn’t have to.
“Some people have probably been left a little red-faced by this experiment but hopefully it’s reminded everyone of the need to kick gender bias out of the game for good.
“Anyone can be a fan of sport, regardless of gender and it’s time to remember this.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
