Emma Hayes says England 'more sexist' than US after attacks on women in football

Emma Hayes said England has a 'more sexist society' than the USA, adding that the issue of sexism was 'more prevalent' in England than across the Atlantic.

The current Chelsea Women manager was addressing the recent misogynistic attacks levelled at women within football media stoked by former Manchester City player Joey Barton.

The former Bristol Rovers boss has launched a bizarre and appalling tirade against women in the industry, most recently targeting pundits Eni Aluko and Lucy Ward and comparing the duo to Fred and Rose West.

Both Ward and Aluko have taken legal action against Barton, with the latter also revealing in an emotional video posted to her social media channels that she fled the country amid fear for her safety following the controversial comments made by Barton.

And Hayes believes the ongoing crusade against women is rooted in the history of the game in England and the lingering perception of women within the sport.

"We live in a more sexist society in England [than the US] with regards to football," Hayes said. "That's because it's been long-established over a longer period of time and when we were banned from the game for a long period of time.

"So many boys, men, haven't grown up for long periods of time [seeing] girls and women in and around the game of football, let alone women's football.

"Therefore, it's understandable that their confirmation bias and their experiences and their prejudices are done in such a way, because they're used to something, and it's a real challenge to the norm."

Hayes has been an outspoken critic of the perils posed by social media and expanded further: "If you think about lots of things in the last 10 years in this country, from Brexit, to our populism, to our division in