April 15 – A striker with Manchester City’s women’s team has been forced to apologise after causing a social media storm by posting a photograph of herself sharing a laugh with Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal just hours after City’s derby defeat on Sunday.
England international Toni Duggan was celebrating City’s FA Women’s Cup quarter-final victory with a couple of teammates when they encountered United’s Dutch boss at the same local restaurant.
The snap of her smiling with van Gaal shortly after United’s 4-2 win at Old Trafford sparked fury amongst some City fans who accused her of a lack of respect. Some internet trolls went far further with a series of sexist messages over the posting of the picture on Instagram.
The 23-year-old, who has made 16 appearances for her country, subsequently deleted the posting and admitted that it was an “error of judgement” in an apology to City fans and that she was proud to play for them.
In a statement on her Facebook page she said: “I would like to apologise to all MCFC fans for the error of judgement I made last night. I now appreciate the significance of my actions and can assure everyone connected with Manchester City that I am proud to represent the Club and wear the shirt.”
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