Football
ESPN staff 6y

England women's team coach Phil Neville sorry for offensive tweets

Phil Neville has fully apologised for derogatory tweets made about women at his official unveiling as the new coach of the England women's team.

After reports emerged that Neville was in line for the job, tweets he wrote in 2011 resurfaced in the British media about brought into question his suitability to the role. 

Neville, 41, was appointed as the permanent successor to Mark Sampson -- who was sacked last September over "inappropriate and unacceptable behaviour" relating to his time in charge at Bristol Academy -- despite limited management experience and the emergence of some sexist tweets from 2012.

Neville has insisted the historical tweets are not a true picture of his views. 

"I apologise strongly. The words in 2018 were wrong, they were wrong in 2011," he told a news conference. "They are not a reflection on my true character and they do not reflect the way that I was brought up by my parents.

"They do not sit well with me but I can explain it. In isolation it was around a game of sport -- table tennis, basketball while I was away on a family holiday. But it was inappropriate then, in the same way it was inappropriate now. But I think my character stands up to any accusation that is levelled at me. Gareth Southgate is of that character and I am the same.

"I have lived my life right. I have got a wife, a daughter, a sister who is England's netball coach. I have seen the sacrifices she has made, getting up at 4 a.m., 5 a.m..

"I had to apologise. I looked at the words I used. My father isn't with me now but he would have been the first person to tell me that it was wrong."

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