The England women’s football team may have pulled off one of the most dramatic comebacks of Euro 2025 so far, but not everyone was impressed—and former footballer Joey Barton made sure the world knew it.
Fortunately, sports broadcaster Jeff Stelling stepped in with a firm defense that reminded everyone why the Lionesses deserve their respect.
England’s Epic Comeback Sparks Controversy
Sarina Wiegman’s side gave fans a nail-biting quarter-final clash against Sweden.
Down 2-0 late in the game, England turned things around with lightning-fast goals from Lucy Bronze and Michelle Agyemang, just minutes apart, to level the score with less than ten minutes to go.
The match then went to penalties—and what followed was a tense, unpredictable shootout.
While only five of the 14 penalties were actually converted, England’s Hannah Hampton stepped up with two crucial saves, helping the Lionesses clinch a 3-2 win and earn a place in the semi-finals against Italy.
Joey Barton Calls It a “Monstrosity”
But instead of celebrating the team’s resilience, Joey Barton—never one to shy away from a controversial opinion—took to social media to ridicule the match.
“Is this a knockout game this monstrosity?” Barton posted on X (formerly Twitter), criticizing everything from the pace of the game to the penalty shootout.
According to him, it wasn’t “proper football”—just “cosplay nonsense.”
Jeff Stelling Fires Back at the Criticism
Enter Jeff Stelling, the beloved veteran football presenter who wasn’t about to let that slide.
With a quick-witted reply, he wrote:
“Bet you haven’t turned off though Joey?”
Barton fired back, claiming, “I did Jeff. That’s how bad it was,” insisting the match was unwatchable and not real football.
But Stelling wasn’t alone in defending the Lionesses—he continued to back the women’s game throughout the match, replying to several fans and holding his ground.
This Isn’t Their First Clash
This isn’t the first time these two have disagreed publicly.
In a past interview with The Guardian, Stelling had already called out Barton’s repeated jabs at women’s football.
“I think he was trying to boost attention for his podcast initially,” Stelling said, “but now it’s turned into something worse.
Saying women have no right to talk about football? That’s just totally wrong.”
Stelling Remembers the Sexist Past of Football Culture
Jeff Stelling, now 70, spoke candidly about the sexist environment in football during his youth.
He recalled how his sister Sue used to take him to Hartlepool United matches—at a time when it was incredibly rare, and often uncomfortable, for women to even be present in football stadiums.
“She was honestly the only woman in the ground,” Stelling said.
“There were no toilets for women, and the whole place just felt unwelcoming. People didn’t get that she was just doing me a massive favour.”
A Changing Game—And a Better One
But for Stelling, things have thankfully changed.
“Now, when you go to a football match, you see women, families, and young girls cheering in the stands.
And that’s how it should be,” he added.
As England gets ready to face Italy in the semi-finals, it’s clear the Lionesses aren’t just fighting for trophies—they’re helping rewrite the narrative of who belongs in football.
And with allies like Jeff Stelling speaking up, the message is even louder: women belong in the game—on and off the pitch.