Karen Carney said that Leeds United’s promotion to the Premier League in 2019–20 was helped significantly by the Covid-19 break, adding that she was not sure they would have gone up without that enforced rest.

What She Actually Said

During Amazon Prime’s coverage after Leeds’ 5–0 win over West Brom in December 2020, Carney praised Leeds for their work rate but voiced a concern about them “blowing up” late in seasons.

She said that Leeds “out-run everyone” and that “they got promoted because of Covid” as the pandemic break gave them “a bit of respite,” adding she did not know if they would have been promoted without that pause.

Why It Caused Backlash

Leeds’ official account posted a clip of her remarks with the caption highlighting “Promoted because of COVID” and “Won the league by 10 points,” which many fans saw as defending the club and mocking the pundit.

The tweet drew thousands of replies, including sexist and abusive messages towards Carney, which led to strong criticism of both the reaction and the decision to amplify her comments in that way.

Leeds United’s Response

After the row escalated, Leeds released a statement saying they “completely condemn” any abuse directed at Karen Carney and stressing that everyone at the club respects her achievements and work in the game.

Owner Andrea Radrizzani later said the club only meant to defend itself and did not intend to trigger the level of abuse, expressing regret for the fallout while still calling her comments unnecessary and disrespectful.

What Happened Next

Following the wave of abuse, Carney deleted her Twitter account in the days after the match, which drew further public support for her from figures in football and beyond.

Organisations such as Women in Football condemned the use of an official club account to single out a pundit, arguing that even if people disagreed with her analysis, the reaction had clearly gone too far.

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