Yahoo Sport 
FA knew of Phil Neville tweets before making him England women’s manager
The Football Association knew about Phil Neville’s sexist tweets before appointing him as England women’s team manager and is under pressure to publicly explain its recruitment process amid mounting criticism.
The Guardian understands senior executives at the FA were fully aware of a series of tweets sent by the former footballer in 2011 and 2012, including one in which he makes light of domestic abuse.
READ MORE: Neville appointment is a kick in the teeth for better qualified coaches
READ MORE: Phil Neville hit by Twitter storm just hours after taking England Women job
Neville has deleted his Twitter account after the controversial postings came to light. One tweet sent in 2011, read: “Relax I’m back chilled – just battered the wife!!! Feel better now!”
In 2012 he posted: “Morning men couple of hours cricket be4 work sets me up nicely for the day!”
When asked why he failed to mention women, Neville wrote: “When I said morning men I thought the women would of been busy preparing breakfast/getting kids ready/making the beds – sorry morning women!”
The FA decided not to publicly explain it was aware of Neville’s tweets when it announced his appointment, using the men’s team’s Twitter account on Tuesday.
It is understood a number of leading candidates for the women’s team job, male and female, dropped out of the recruitment process. But the appointment of Neville, who has little to no experience of the women’s game, has outraged many.
Who is Phil Neville?
Phil Neville is a former professional footballer who represented England and won several titles with his boyhood club Manchester United. The 41-year-old has now been appointed coach of the England women’s team, his first managerial role in the sport.
How has his appointment been met?
The decision to give the job to Neville has proven controversial. Firstly this is down to his lack of experience as a coach, especially in the women’s game. It has also been reported that Neville did not apply for the vacancy until he was encouraged to do so by the Football Association.
Why has he become embroiled in a Twitter storm?
Neville has come under scrutiny for messages he posted on the social media network. Several messages that could be construed as sexist were found on his account, including one particularly bad one about domestic abuse (seemingly intended as a "joke"). There was another about equal pay and an apparently earnest message which apologised for wishing good morning to his male followers only because “I thought the women would of [sic] been busy preparing breakfast”. Neville has now deactivated his account.
Is this bad news for the Football Association?
The controversy carries extra resonance because Neville was the man chosen to replace Mark Sampson, the previous England women’s coach, who was removed after a scandal in which he was found to have made racially discriminatory comments to two England women’s players, Eni Aluko and Drew Spence.
The Women’s Sport Trust said in a statement: “To see a high-profile, former professional footballer virtually parachuted in to such a significant role in football without the level of experience required, undermines the coaching pathway.
“Despite the huge growth in the women’s game in recent years, this appointment has also highlighted that we still don’t have enough female coaches at the highest level. We are also saddened by Phil Neville’s historical tweets and the lack of comment about this from the FA. All individuals and organisations must be more aware of past sexist behaviour and respond to it appropriately.”
