Arsenal legend Ian Wright "embarrassed" by female pundits abuse
Former Arsenal and England ace Ian Wright says he is "embarrassed" by the abuse female pundits are targeted with.
Alex Scott and Karen Carney – both of whom played for England – are among the women who have faced abuse on social media due to their punditry roles.
Carney deleted her Twitter account last month after receiving online abuse over her comments on Leeds United while working for Amazon Prime Video.
But Match of the Day regular Wright insists he has needed to "up his game" as a pundit in light of how "very, very prepared" his female peers are.
"I'm embarrassed by [the abuse]," Wright told The Game Changers Podcast. He added: "I feel for them because they've got no wiggle room.
"When they're on the television, if they say anything wrong they're taken to the cleaners. People want them cancelled and it's unfair.
"When women come on, they know that they are under amazing pressure because people are looking to find fault with anything they say. So they're very, very prepared."
Former Arsenal Women right-back Scott said she was targeted with racist abuse last year, while trolls also sent her death threats.
Wright has thrown his weight behind his female colleagues, saying they "deserve" their roles and urging them not to be "put off" by abusers on social media.
"I was on with Lianne Sanderson the other day, it was a joy. She knows so much," Wright added.
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"They've made me up my game. When you listen to what they say, they make you have to research more, and that's what it's about.
"They shouldn't be put off by it because they're doing the work to be on there. They deserve to be on there."
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