Jeff Stelling has called out an industry colleague for branding Alan Brazil a ‘dinosaur’ after the talkSPORT host downplayed the importance of women’s football in a heated live debate.
Brazil, 65, was first labelled a ‘dinosaur’ on his Thursday morning show by co-host Shebahn Aherne when he suggested most Manchester United fans globally are ‘not bothered’ about the women’s team.
Tom Garry, a respectedwomen’s football writer for the Guardian, stood up for Aherne’s view in a post on X, writing: ‘Respect to Shebahn for standing up to a dinosaur live on the radio.
‘Anyone ignorant enough to still think “no one cares” about Manchester United women ought to see their fans waiting at 6am in the Old Trafford car park to embark on 10-hour round coach trips for away games. True football fans.’
But Stelling has hit back at Garry, replying: ‘As a journalist you should be able to find a less disrespectful description of Alan. Do you call your bosses dinosaurs too as they are doubtless older than you?’
Garry lashed back: ‘I thought he was patronising, arrogant and quite rude to a female colleague, live on air, Jeff. Do you prefer that description? Age is not the reason the word dinosaur felt relevant. Condescending comments towards women working in football – that’s what should be extinct by now.’
Jeff Stelling has waded into the row around Alan Brazil’s ‘dinosaur’ views on women’s football
Brazil was labelled a ‘dinosaur’ after claiming that most Manchester United fans globally are ‘not bothered’ about the women’s team
The clash between Brazil and Aherne, which also involved Gabby Agbonlahor, has sparked intense debate across social media.
Aherne had described how United unveiled their ‘Mission 21’ plan, as reported by The Times, which is all about delivering United’s 21st English league title. Alongside Mission 21, Sir Dave Brailsford and James Morton have also prepared a Mission 1 plan, which focused on United’s women’s team winning their first WSL title.
The Scot was having none of it.
He fired back: ‘With the greatest respect, when you talk about Manchester United… women’s football is getting more important now but when you talk about Manchester United, this is the men’s we’re talking about, the Premier League when we’re talking about mission impossible, not the women’s.’
Aherne insisted fans do care about the women’s fortunes, but Brazil doubled down.
‘It isn’t (a priority)’, he claimed. ‘I’m sorry, people around them are not bothered. It is true. They’re not [bothered]. Within the bigger picture, they’re not.
‘No, the bigger picture is fans want to see Manchester United in the Premier League challenging. That’s the bigger picture. It’s not that important compared to the bigger picture. I’m not going to sit here and lie because it’s not. It’s not! I’m telling you the truth, it’s not!’
Aherne was furious with Brazil’s outburst and hit back at the presenter while a stunned Gabby Agbonlahor watched on.
He was called out by his talkSPORT co-host Shebahn Aherne (pictured) after going on an extraordinary rant live on air
Brazil (bottom left) and Aherne (top right) have worked together at talkSPORT for several years
Sir Jim Ratcliffe has been perceived to be a disinterested owner in Man United’s women’s team
‘Al, stop being like that,’ she said. ‘You sound like a proper dinosaur this morning. That’s obviously your spirit animal, the way you sound on this this morning. I don’t know why you’re being like that.’
Brazil refused to back down, as he retorted: ‘You’re kidding yourself on.’
A visibly frustrated Aherne added: ‘That’s unbelievable from you. You’re the one with the granddaughter playing football, listen to yourself. Right now that’s important.’
Agbonlahor tired to mediate and make peace, jumping in: ‘To be fair to Shebahn, the men’s football obviously is a lot bigger, isn’t it, but there’s still the women’s football, definitely needs helps as well.
‘So I think that is part of the plan, people out there do want to watch the women’s football as well, so we can’t discard that, but obviously like you’re saying (alan), the men’s football is the priority at Manchester United, of course it is.
‘But still, the women’s football needs some love and help, doesn’t it? Come on, Alan!’
Brazil wriggled his way out of the situation with a slippery escape: ‘Three minutes to eight’.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his Ineos administration have been seen as apathetic towards the women’s team.
Man United sit second in the Women’s Super League, seven points behind Chelsea
Instead of watching them lift the FA Cup for the first time at Wembley in May, he chose to watch the men in action against Arsenal at Old Trafford.
‘There’s only so much that you can do, and our focus has been on the men,’ he said in a fanzine interview.
The women’s team were forced to make way out of their training facilities to make way for the men amid Carrington’s renovations.
In the last couple of years, they have lost Alessio Russo on a free to Arsenal, Katie Zelem at the end of her contract, and saw Mary Earps leave for PSG after she was unconvinced by the club’s future ambitions.