Walkout at Football Writers’ Awards over ‘next level racist and sexist jokes’
metro.co.ukFootball Writers’ Association (SFWA) awards in Glasgow.He also used the word ‘N-p’ while talking about Celtic signing three Japanese players, attendees told The Telegraph.The SFWA has apologised to ‘anyone upset’, with bosses saying they’d use the incident as a catalyst for improvement.Meanwhile, Mr Copeland has also reportedly apologised – but has now been dropped as an after-dinner speaker by his agency.Journalist Gabriella Bennett was among two tables of guests who left the ceremony, which saw Sir Alex Ferguson receive a lifetime achievement award.She said she had heard misogynistic remarks at previous ceremonies but described a speech as ‘next level’.‘I walked out after about five minutes of maybe a 20-minute speech, and within those five minutes it was rammed with sexist jokes’, she told the BBC.Ms Bennett said her table finally stood up to leave after hearing ‘an offensive racial slur’ – which ‘lots of people there found really funny’.TV presenter Eilidh Barbour tweeted: ‘Never felt so unwelcome in the industry I work in than sitting at the Scottish Football Writers Awards.‘A huge reminder there is still so much to do in making our game an equal place’.Neither woman named Mr Copeland in their comments.The incident represents a much wider problem as women remain hugely unrepresented in sports journalism, Ms Bennett added.The author, who is a member of the Women in Journalism group, said she had spoken to the only three women working as staff writers in the print side of the industry and ‘what they told us would make your hair stand on end’.‘Some really, really, shocking testimonials from everything from intimidating atmospheres at football press boxes to sneering attitudes to women in sports’, she said.Kick It Out,.
