LEEDS owner Andrea Radrizzani said sorry to Karen Carney after a club tweet sparked vile abuse towards her.
The ex-England star claimed the Covid shutdown in March helped the club get promoted.
Karen Carney was targeted by trolls after Leeds’ official Twitter account highlighted comments she made about their promotion back to the Premier LeagueCredit: Getty
Karen Carney has yet to respond to the swathe of abuse she’s receivedCredit: Amazon
Carney made her comments after Leeds’ 5-0 win at West Brom and the Elland Road social media team mocked the Amazon pundit on their Twitter account in reply.
Leeds’ trolling fuelled thousands of abusive remarks at Carney — and although Radrizzani branded her “disrespectful”, the red-faced Italian made a U-turn last night.
TalkSPORT’s Jim White spoke to Radrizzani and released a series of tweets on his behalf.
He said: “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.”
Leeds had earlier condemned the abuse that Carney had received.
A club spokesperson said: “Leeds United completely condemns any abuse received by Karen Carney on social media following last night’s Premier League game with West Bromwich Albion.
“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.”
NINTCHDBPICT000614844534Credit: Getty Images – Getty
Carney’s comments came to the attention of Leeds fans after the club’s official Twitter account shared the footage with the caption: “Promoted because of Covid. Won the league by 10 points. Hi @primevideosport”.
Leeds have not apologised for the tweet itself, with Radrizzani previously defending the club’s actions.
In response to a tweet claiming the club took part in a ‘disgusting act’, the Italian said: “I take the responsibility of the Club tweet.”
He added: “I consider that comment completely unnecessary and disrespectful to our Club and particularly to the fantastic hard work of our players and coaches whom were understanding on the pitch for the last two championship seasons by all stats.”
Carney, who retired from football last July, has yet to publicly address the abuse she received.
Women in Football, however, have passed comment on the incident, condemning Leeds for their actions.
They said: “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.”
Former Leeds star Rio Ferdinand has called on the club to delete the post with other prominent members of the sporting community slamming the tweet.
According to The Times, Leeds have reached out to Carney over the matter and have invited her to their training ground for a TV report ahead of their FA Cup third-round clash with Crawley Town next month.
Leeds will be back in action on Saturday afternoon, travelling to north London to take on Tottenham.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
