BBC Homepage
  • Skip to content
  • Accessibility Help
  • Your account
  • Notifications
  • Home
  • News
  • Sport
  • Weather
  • iPlayer
  • Sounds
  • Bitesize
  • CBBC
  • CBeebies
  • Food
  • More menu
More menu
Search BBC
  • Home
  • News
  • Sport
  • Weather
  • iPlayer
  • Sounds
  • Bitesize
  • CBBC
  • CBeebies
  • Food
Close menu
BBC News
Menu
  • Home
  • InDepth
  • Israel-Gaza war
  • War in Ukraine
  • Climate
  • UK
  • World
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Culture
More
  • Tech
  • Science
  • Health
  • Family & Education
  • In Pictures
  • Newsbeat
  • BBC Verify
  • Disability
  • BBC Trending

World Cup 2018: Is football still sexist?

  • Published
    26 June 2018
Share page
About sharing
Female football fansImage source, Getty Images
Georgina Rannard
BBC News

It's 2018, so no-one objects to women knowing stuff about football, talking about it, or just watching a game, right?

Well, some incidents in this World Cup have left people wondering how much has actually changed in the beautiful game and whether women are being treated unfairly.

On Tuesday Getty images published a photo gallery of "the hottest fans at the World Cup" featuring exclusively young women.

The post attracted criticism from social media users for being outdated., external

Twitter account Women in Football asked, external, "times are changing so why don't you?"

This X post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser.View original content on X
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
Skip X post by Getty Images

Allow X content?

This article contains content provided by X. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read X’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
End of X post by Getty Images

The post was later removed by Getty, who said that it was a "regrettable error in judgement" and that the photographic agency would be launching an internal investigation.

Female sports commentators in particular have been patronised, criticised and even harassed on camera by social media, passing fans and pundits alike.

Brazilian sports reporter Julia Guimareas was reporting live from Yekaterinburg, Russia when she was forced to dodge a kiss by a passerby.

"Don't do this. Never do this again. It's not right," she shouted after him, forcing him to apologise. A tweet congratulating Ms Guimareas for standing up to harassment, external was liked 64,000 times.

This X post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser.View original content on X
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
Skip X post 2 by Fantástico

Allow X content?

This article contains content provided by X. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read X’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
End of X post 2 by Fantástico

Australian SBS World Cup presenter Lucy Zelic has been attacked by online trolls for making a point of pronouncing players' names correctly, as they would be in their home country.

After she was branded "annoying" and "insufferable", Zelic's co-host Craig Foster hit back at critics on Monday, external, explaining that their programme aimed to respect diverse linguistic traditions and cultures.

It's been a World Cup of firsts for women, which has raised the profile of female sports commentators.

BBC journalist Vicki Sparks became the first woman to commentate live on a televised World Cup match in the UK last week, while US networks Fox and Telemundu both reported that they featured the first women to commentate live on World Cup games in North America.

But not everyone was a fan of the change. Ex-footballer Jason Cundy, who was not invited to commentate in this World Cup, has come under fire for saying that women's voices are too high-pitched for football punditry.

You might also be interested in:

  • Women finally allowed in Iranian football stadium

  • Russian media call women football fans 'husband-hunters'

  • In Pictures: Photographing football's female fans

Some observers have criticised the return of the 'babe cam' - the practice of TV cameras lingering slightly too long on young women in stadium stands - and Twitter accounts that rate the attractiveness of female fans.

This X post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser.View original content on X
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
Skip X post 3 by Eman Suleman

Allow X content?

This article contains content provided by X. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read X’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
End of X post 3 by Eman Suleman
This X post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser.View original content on X
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
Skip X post 4 by The Godmother

Allow X content?

This article contains content provided by X. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read X’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
End of X post 4 by The Godmother

Fake fans

Meanwhile, in China, ordinary women can't even watch a game in peace without being accused online of being 'fake fans'.

Jokes mocking women football fans have been circulating, suggesting that they don't really understand football and that they are watching the World Cup only to impress their boyfriends, to seek attention, or to check out handsome and muscular footballers.

One blogger, Shi Shusi, commenting on a report that more women than men travelled to Russia for the World Cup, wrote on social media platform Weibo, "A feast for fake football fans has begun."

One cartoon has been shared that scorns, external women's lack of knowledge about the World Cup and football in general.

A cartoon circulated online in China mocking women for lack of football knowledge (Chinese-English translation by BBC News)Image source, Sina Breaking News
Image caption,

A cartoon circulated online in China mocking women for lack of football knowledge (Chinese-English translation by BBC News)

But female football fans are fighting back. One blog compared strong performance of China women's football team with their male counterparts who failed to qualify for the World Cup.

Another wrote: "I don't understand football NOT because I'm a woman, but because I just don't care about the game. Stop making everything about gender difference."

So, if you're feeling a bit conflicted when you see a woman on TV talking about football, remember the wise words of BBC Sports reporter, Dan Walker: "Get over it. We can all enjoy the World Cup."

This X post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser.View original content on X
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
Skip X post 5 by Dan Walker

Allow X content?

This article contains content provided by X. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read X’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
End of X post 5 by Dan Walker

Additional reporting by Lily Lee in Beijing

Top stories

  • Police make three arrests during Epping protest

    • Published
      1 hour ago
  • US court rules many of Trump's global tariffs are illegal

    • Published
      2 hours ago
  • Brothers set new record for 9,000-mile Pacific row

    • Published
      1 hour ago

More to explore

  • Harry set for UK visit but will he see his father?

    A split image showing the faces of Prince Harry and King Charles. Both wear blue blazers and light shirts.
  • 'Inn-justice' for Epping and 'Rayner faces sleaze inquiry'

    The front pages of the Sun and the Daily Telegraph.
  • How coffee chains like Costa lost the matcha generation

    Two young women one with long brown hair and a grey hoodie and one with blonde hair in a slick back bun and a black leather bomber both holding green iced matcha drinks with straws on a street outside a Blank Street Coffee shop in London
  • Manhunt in Australian bush brings long-dismissed conspiracy theorists to the fore

    A man stands on a bus stop holding a sign saying "freedom" in bold capital letters. A line of police officers backs can be seen at the bottom of the picture, all in high vis tops. The street they are on is lined with trees which have lost their leaves
  • I asked a bus passenger to turn his phone down - he called me miserable

    A man in a white t-shirt and blue denim jacket sits on a bus next to the window and uses his phone. His face is out of the camera shot. Another passenger sat next to him also uses their phone.
  • What Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's wedding could look like

    A screenshot taken from Instagram showing Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift hug each other
  • Meet the three-year-olds helping anxious teens spend more time in school

    A teenage girl and a toddler smiling and talking to each other
  • 'Gringos out!': Mexicans protest against tourists and gentrification

    A man shouts into a loudhailer on a recent anti-gentrification march in Mexico City
  • Olivia Colman and Benedict Cumberbatch's secrets to successful marriages

    Olivia Colman and Benedict Cumberbatch attend "The Roses" UK Premiere at the Odeon Luxe Leicester Square on August 28, 2025 in London, England.
loading elsewhere stories

Most read

  1. 1

    'Inn-justice' for Epping and 'Rayner faces sleaze inquiry'

  2. 2

    US court rules many of Trump's global tariffs are illegal

  3. 3

    Brothers set new record for 9,000-mile Pacific row

  4. 4

    Harry set for UK visit but will he see his father?

  5. 5

    How coffee chains like Costa lost the matcha generation

  6. 6

    Police make three arrests during Epping protest

  7. 7

    BBC Proms performance interrupted by pro-Palestinian protesters

  8. 8

    US blocks Palestinian leader from attending UN meeting in New York

  9. 9

    Barrier being built around besieged Sudan city, satellite images show

  10. 10

    'Our baby was robbed of dignity after she died'

BBC News Services

  • On your mobile
  • On smart speakers
  • Get news alerts
  • Contact BBC News

Best of the BBC

  • Rolf Larsen investigates the case of a missing child

    • Attribution
      iPlayer
    DNA
  • Comedian Bob Mortimer chooses his desert island tracks

    • Attribution
      Sounds
    Desert Island Discs: Bob Mortimer
  • Freddie Mercury: from iconic shots to private snaps

    • Attribution
      iPlayer
    A Life in Ten Pictures: Freddie Mercury
  • When an Olympic badminton match caused controversy

    • Attribution
      Sounds
    Sporting Witness: Shuttlecock scandal
  • Home
  • News
  • Sport
  • Weather
  • iPlayer
  • Sounds
  • Bitesize
  • CBBC
  • CBeebies
  • Food
  • Terms of Use
  • About the BBC
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookies
  • Accessibility Help
  • Parental Guidance
  • Contact the BBC
  • Make an editorial complaint
  • BBC emails for you

Copyright © 2025 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.