Isa Guha, an English cricket player turned commentator, politely addressed remarks made recently by former Premier League footballer Joey Barton, who stated that women shouldn’t talk about men’s football. Respected in the cricket world, Guha is currently playing in Australia’s summer cricket competition.
On December 6, controversial former Manchester City player Barton used social media to share his opinion. “In the men’s game, women have no business speaking in a position of authority. Come on. Let’s take this seriously. The game is entirely different. Should you reject that? We’ll always have different perspectives,” Barton stated in his “X” profile.
He continued, “Any man who listens to women’s commentary needs their heads tested. Dismissing women’s commentary in men’s sports. Keep playing your own game.”
Footballer Joey Barton gets slammed:
Guha, who is well-known for her accomplishments in international cricket as well as her perceptive analysis, responded to Barton’s comments on Instagram. Beneath images of cricket greats such as Michael Vaughan and Adam Gilchrist, she thought back on her journey and expressed her gratitude for the chance to cover sports.
Guha emphasized the value of representation in sports and acknowledged the recent remarks made in the UK. She emphasized that cricket has led the way in giving female voices a voice. Guha also emphasized how important it is to help everyone, regardless of gender, in their process of learning and thriving.
She wrote in a post, “I’ve been thinking lately of how grateful I am to be able to cover sport because I guess it hasn’t always been attainable. I am aware of the recent remarks made in the UK by some individuals expressing different opinions about women working in men’s sports. I recall the remarks made when I was first starting out, even though I was pretty green. However, my superiors supported me despite the commotion and my number of errors. I wanted to repay them by learning as much as I could, as soon as possible.”
Reflecting on her personal experiences Guha added, “While there will always be exceptions, I’ve always felt it’s more important to acknowledge those that raise us up rather than those that don’t.” She argued for equal tolerance and support for both sexes and affirmed her belief that women can be successful in men’s sports commentary.
Isa Guha’s journey:
Isa Guha, a former England international, is a member of the ESPNcricinfo Match Point cricket expert panel. The former seamer Guha, who played eight Tests, 83 One-Dayers, and 22 Twenty20 (T20) internationals before retiring from national duty in March 2012, will co-host the Sydney-based show with ESPNcricinfo video features specialist Raunak Kapoor.
In addition to writing for BBC Sport, Guha joined the esteemed Geoffrey Boycott as the first female analyst on BBC Radio 4’s Test Match Special. She became a co-presenter of ITV4’s Indian Premier League coverage when she joined ITV Sport in April 2012. She also serves as an ambassador for the British Asian Trust and Sporting Equals.
So, this was all about the footballer Joey Barton and Isa Guha controversy. Also, read the viral on-field conversation of KL Rahul and Keshav Maharaj
