Ballon d'Or: 'Women's football needs to be valued more' - Shelley Kerr
- Published
Ada Hegerberg had just won football's most prestigious award when the presenter asked her to twerk
Scotland head coach Shelley Kerr has condemned the "inappropriate" comments made by the male host of the Women's Ballon d'Or ceremony on Monday.
Norwegian Ada Hegerberg's triumph was overshadowed by host Martin Solveig asking if she knew "how to twerk".
The Lyon striker, 23, responded with a simple "no" and later said she "didn't consider it sexual harassment".
But Kerr said "the women's game and women's football needs to be valued more, it's as simple as that".
"We've got an exceptionally talented young player, a serial Champions League winner who's scored over 250 goals and at 23 wins the inaugural Ballon d'Or award, and the morning after we're talking about an inappropriate comment," she added.
"It's a comment that shouldn't have been made and is inappropriate. We're approaching the World Cup draw, both Scotland and England, and the announcement yesterday that England are going to be hosting Euro 2021, and we find ourselves talking about a negative comment.
"What she's achieved is huge; she's a young player - a phenomenal young player at that - and what we should be talking about is her talent and the achievement."
Tennis star Andy Murray said the incident was "another example of the ridiculous sexism that still exists in sport".
Former Scotland football captain Gemma Fay, who won more than 200 caps and is now head of women's rugby for Scottish Rugby, was equally unimpressed.
"It's not a one-off incident. This casual sexism still exists," she told BBC Scotland.
"This was the first ever award of its type, you want the lasting memory to be something symbolic about that woman and what's she's achieved.
"It was such an opportunity for women's sport and all we're talking about is the ridiculous comment about twerking."
Solveig, a DJ, apologised to Hegerberg, adding via Twitter: "This was a joke, probably a bad one."
However, Fay said: "If you take it in the wider context of the equality battle that has been at the forefront of women in sport over the last few years, it's not okay, it's not right.
"I'm disappointed that we are still having these conversations in 2018. This is just another example of the lack of awareness of the impact that words have.
"If you're put on a world stage and given that opportunity, you need to recognise the situation of women in sport and recognise what we are fighting for. Understand that, do your research. Don't put an amazing athlete in that position."
The Ballon d'Or has been awarded to a men's player by France Football magazine every year since 1956, but this is the first year there has been a women's award.
Fay has been working for Scottish Rugby since retiring from a distinguished football career