Manchester United foundation chief apologises for 'awkward' joke to Alessia Russo saying award was '
The chief executive of the Manchester United foundation has apologised after joking to Alessia Russo her Women’s Player of the Year trophy was ‘too heavy’ for her.
John Shiels has come under fire for his comments made on stage to the United and England striker.
Russo picked up the award after scoring 10 Women’s Super League goals as they finished an agonising second behind Chelsea, with the title race going down to the final day.
In the clip that has gone viral on social media, Shiels said: “I'm not going to give this trophy to Alessia because it's so heavy.”
Host Geoff Shreeves said: “I'm sure you (Russo) can take it quite happily can't you?”
Shiels then passed the trophy to Russo and Shreeves added: “John, I think you need to take up more weight training. It's not that heavy.”
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His comments have sparked a wave of criticism on social media.
talkSPORT Breakfast host Laura Woods replied to the video and said: “How to make a great moment really bloody awkward.”
Shiels subsequently issued an apology on social media for any offence caused.
He wrote on Twitter: “Last night I had the honour of presenting Alessia Russo with the Women’s Goal of the Season award at the Manchester United end-of-season awards ceremony.
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“I made a comment about the weight of the trophy which I know has caused offence.
“I am mortified by this and want to apologise to Alessia, her teammates, and anyone else offended.
“I alerted Alessia to the weight of the trophy because I was shocked by how heavy it felt, and would have done the same if presenting to a male player.
“I simply did not want her to drop it. However, on reflection, I can see why the comment has been misconstrued.
“Female empowerment is at the heart of Manchester United Foundation’s work, with almost 10,000 girls and young women taking part in our programmes annually.
“I’m proud of this work and upset that my remarks created a distraction from the fantastic achievements of Alessia and the women’s team this season.”
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