Northern Ireland captain Marissa Callaghan has offered her full support to manager Kenny Shiels after he said that "girls and women are more emotional than men" following a loss to England on Tuesday night.
Shiels said women suffer from "emotional imbalance" that impacts their ability to handle conceding goals in a professional manner compared to their male counterparts - but Callaghan felt his words were acceptable in the context of a team meeting that took place just before his interview.
Shiels' daughter, Lauren Kearney, has also backed her father, calling for an end to what she sees as a "character assassination" following this week's events.
What did Callaghan say?
"In light of recent events, collectively we stand by our manager. We feel his interview was in relation to a meeting we had as a team where we analysed that we concede goals in quick succession and emotions was one of the many things we discussed,” wrote Callaghan in a statement on social media.
"Since Kenny took over our national team 3 years ago, I have always complimented him publicly on how he can get the best out of his players individually and collectively. He is a man of integrity who cares for us like we are family.
"Kenny has transformed the game here in Northern Ireland because he understands how to get the best out of his players. We have qualified for a major tournament because he transformed our mindset.
"We look forward to the next few months as we continue to prepare for the Euros this summer. Selling out the National Stadium has been a pivotal moment for the game here in NI and we as players and staff will continue as a team to help grow the game and inspire the next generation of young players and fans.”
Kearney responds
Shortly after Callaghan's statement, Shiels' daughter took to Twitter with a response of her own as Kearney hit out at her father's critics.
"The abuse and character assassination my Dad has endured over the past 24 hours has been shocking," she said. "Thank you to those that have shown support it won't be forgotten."
Shiels' time in charge
Shiels was appointed manager of the team in May 2019, having previously led Kilmarnock and Derry City's men's teams.
Since taking over, he has overseen Northern Ireland's successful Euro 2022 play-off campaign, which saw them qualify for the country's first-ever major tournament.