Northern Ireland women's team defends coach Shiels after 'emotional' remarks
Northern Ireland Women's players came out in support of their coach Kenny Shiels on Thursday, a day after he apologised for saying women are "more emotional" than men. After a 5-0 loss to England in a 2023 World Cup qualifier, Shiels said women were more likely to concede two goals in quick succession because they were more emotional. His remarks drew intense criticism and the 65-year-old issued an apology. But Northern Ireland captain Marissa Callaghan said the team "collectively" stood by their manager. "We feel his interview was in relation to a meeting we had as a team where we analysed that we concede goals in quick succession and emotions was one of the many things we discussed," Callaghan said in a statement on Instagram.
