Celebrating the success of the England women’s football team has, it seems, caused a bit of a penalty for some men. The Lionesses’ impressive Euro 2025 victory a real golden goal for the sport has led to some feeling that their own team’s efforts are being unfairly thrown in the mud. This sentiment appears to be a bit of a back-pass, stemming from a feeling that the praise for the women’s team is often at the expense of the men. It’s an oddly defensive formation, where some believe their achievements are being overshadowed, as if there isn’t enough room on the pitch for both teams to be celebrated.
A key point of contention, and one that has caused a fair amount of whistle blowing, is the argument that the men’s and women’s games are fundamentally different and shouldn’t be directly compared. The suggestion is that the two sides are so far apart they’re playing a different sport, which, if you ask some, is not quite a fair play. Of course, this line of reasoning conveniently sidesteps the fact that both teams represent the same country and play with the same passion.
This frustration also extends to the emotional reactions following the win. The women’s vibrant celebrations, it seems, were considered a little “over the top” for some, a stark contrast to the apparently more stoic and refined way the men’s game is traditionally celebrated. Because, of course, a little bit of unrestrained joy is what the beautiful game is truly lacking. It’s almost as if they’d prefer to celebrate with a good old-fashioned nil-nil draw of emotions.
The conversation has become so heated that some men feel the need to defend the men’s game and its traditions, as if its history is suddenly under threat from a winning women’s side. They might argue that the men’s game has a different culture, and that the focus should be on celebrating both, rather than using one to criticise the other. It’s a sentiment that seems to be missing the point entirely, as if the only way to praise one team is by putting another down.
The media, never one to pass up a good rivalry, has been accused of simply stoking the flames by focusing on comparisons rather than celebrating the success of both teams equally. It’s a tricky offside call for everyone involved, but one thing is certain: the Lionesses’ win has opened up a can of worms that nobody expected, proving that even a celebration of victory can be a sticky wicket in the world of football.
