Gary Neville and Jill Scott MBE tackle sexism in football with social experiment

They are both former England international players turned football pundits, and one has multiple FA Cup, league cup and league winners medals, plus 161 caps for England and has won the European Championships. The other is Gary Neville. Jill Scott MBE; lioness, TV Pundit. And victim of ridicule and sexist abuse.

To highlight this inequality, Jill Scott MBE and Gary Neville put the social into a Heineken social experiment where they swapped their X accounts, with an aim to share their opinions to expose gender bias as they reported analysis on Champions League matches.

‘The social swap’ saw Jill and Gary secretly switching their social accounts for five days, using each others accounts but continuing to shared their genuine views on matches, from the use of VAR to team rivalries and match predictions.

Ex-Manchester United player Gary Neville, revered as a pundit on Sky Sports by millions, sharing the same views as before, just as Jill Scott. Surely the masses would continue to appreciate his social commentary on the game everyone loves? Or would him posing as the LGBTQ+ ex-Everton and Manchester City footballer Jill Scott expose him to the vile abuse and sexist discrimination she gets on a regular basis?

Well obviously, it was sadly predictable. Jill’s account received five times more sexist responses than Gary’s when they shared similar points of view and commentary online.

With thought out criticism such as “Get back in the kitchen, babe”

The experiment served as a reminder how how far there is to go in football’s journey towards inclusivity.

Naturally on the other hand, Jill Scott MBE posing as Gary, was inundated with compliments. Which proves that her opinions are more validated when given as a man. But this mis-match of respect is already pretty evident, Gary Neville’s twitter account has 5.5M followers compared to just 202.6K followers of Scott’s. It’s clear who the masses are interested in.

And I also feel the need to point out that retired defender Neville was inducted to the English Football Hall of Fame in 2015, one of the most revered honours in football. Despite no international honours at all. Mind you, at the time the Museum’s President was Sir Bobby Charlton and Vice President Sir Alex Ferguson, so no surprise The Class of ’92 graduate got the nod.

Although in fairness, he won everything domestically and his domestic honours put him in the higher echelons of the Premier League. And you’d expect Scott to make the women’s Hall of fame at some point.

And in respect to Gary Neville, he has long been an advocate of equality for women’s football as his mother was banned from playing boys football in the 70’s. He also has two daughters who are keen football fans, and obviously wants a world where they can play, support and watch football as equals.

And it’s not just in the grounds and stadiums. Social media users too, regardless of their profile, race, gender or sexual orientation, should feel empowered to use their online platforms with freedom from toxic abuse.

So the experiment into inequality proved that, inevitably, some football fans still live in the dark ages. It seems some people can’t see Jill Scott footballer and pundit with any creditably, regardless of who writes her comments.

Naturally the stars had plenty to say on their experiences with the online sexist toxicity and gender bias.

Jill Scott MBE said:

“Attitudes have definitely changed, but there’s no doubt that female fans, pundits and players still get a lot more online negativity than men due to gender bias. You develop a thick skin – but we shouldn’t have to. Some people have probably been left a little red-faced by this experiment but hopefully it’s reminded everyone of the need to kick gender bias out of the game for good. Anyone can be a fan of sport, regardless of gender and it’s time to remember this.”

Gary Neville added:

“The heated debates and rivalries are what makes football so exhilarating. But when negativity is linked to gender, this goes too far, especially from behind a screen. By putting myself in Jill’s shoes and seeing the reaction, I have seen first-hand the uglier side of this sport that I love and want to make it clear that football is for everyone. On the pitch and online, we should treat each other with respect no matter our gender, race, sexuality or what colour shirt we’re wearing.”

Who is Jill Scott MBE?

Jill Scott MBE is an English former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. She represented the England national team and had a successful career with Sunderland, Everton and Manchester City. In 2017, she was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for her services to women’s football.

Scott won 9 domestic trophies, came third with England in 2015 World Cup, and runner up of the European’s Championship in 2009. She won the Euro’s in 2022.

Who is Gary Neville?

Gary Neville is a former professional footballer from England who played as a right-back for Manchester United and the England national team. Neville won 21 domestic trophies, and the U18 Championships with England in 1993.

After retiring from playing, he went on to have a successful career as a football pundit and commentator. He is also a co-owner of Salford City Football Club.