Juventus midfielder Emre Can has received strong criticism for his comments regarding Cristiano Ronaldo’s red card against Valencia on Wednesday.
Juventus won the match 2-0 as Valencia’s miserable form continues but Ronaldo was dismissed by referee Felix Brych for a seemingly innocuous clash with Valencia defender Murillo, which was missed by Brych but picked up by the fifth official.
Can was stunned by the dismissal once he saw the footage of the incident and exclaimed that the players were not women, a statement which saw him receive heavy criticism.
“That’s supposed to be a red!?” he told DAZN .
“I just heard that he said it was because of hair pulling. We’re not women, we’re playing football.
“If you’re giving that as a red card, you can be sent off for any foul. One hundred per cent, that is not a red card.”
Really, @emrecan_ ? 🤨
Clearly he's never watched women's football before! ⚽️ pic.twitter.com/fARBtKniHJ
— DW Sports (@dw_sports) September 20, 2018
Emre Can about Ronaldo's red card to @DAZN_DE:
"That's not a red. We're not women. We play football."@JuventusFCWomen are champions of Italy. Women play football all over the world. Can anyone tell Emre Can that sexism is disgusting, in football and elsewhere?
Regards,
2018 pic.twitter.com/OoOZAU4ONh— Felix Tamsut (@ftamsut) September 20, 2018
https://twitter.com/lgbtqfc/status/1042756360113475584
https://twitter.com/FalseFirmino/status/1042732178872913922
Embarrassing comment from Emre Can. https://t.co/Pz7ZgrA7Ka
— Maxi (@MaaxiAngelo) September 20, 2018
Ban Emre Can for his sexist comments. It's so disrespectful against all those fierce women playing football and even doing it better than him.
— The Godmother (@Madridgodmother) September 20, 2018
The former Liverpool midfielder apologised for his comments on his official Twitter account and stated that he had merely intended to stick up for a teammate.
I would like to take a moment to clear the air regarding comments I made after last nights game.
Please read the full statement below⤵️Yours
Emre pic.twitter.com/SLvdF6qf33— Emre Can (@emrecan_) September 20, 2018
“I would like to take a moment to clear the air regarding the comments I made after last night’s game. My response after seeing the video footage of Cristiano’s sending off seemed to have caused some commotion.
“I would like to state that the comments made were never focused on nor meant to degrade women, women’s football or equality in any form. Everyone who knows me knows about my respect for women, equality and respect.
“My intention was to stick up for my team mate regarding a wrong decision which could have affected our game.
“I sincerely apologise if any of the comments I made have caused any harm.”
