WSL Apologizes for Unprofessional Cup Draw

Women's Super League clubs expressed widespread dismay following a chaotic quarterfinal and semifinal draw for the Subway League Cup on Tuesday night, hosted by social media influencer GK Barry and Portsmouth Women's player Ella Rutherford. The live broadcast on the WSL's TikTok page featured lewd jokes, an insult toward Tottenham Hotspur, and a mishap with a draw ball, prompting an apology from WSL Football to the affected club and raising questions about the event's professionalism.

The draw, intended to engage a younger audience through Barry's involvement, quickly drew criticism for its unprofessional tone. Barry, whose real name is Grace Keeling and who has appeared on the reality show I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!, began by displaying the draw balls and commenting, "These are my balls right here on show, get a load of it, usually I'd charge." As she placed the balls into the bag, she added, "Lesbian handling balls, never been seen before," before shaking the bag and slapping it against her backside, saying, "Give it a shake and a spank for luck, bit of fun." The event concluded with another innuendo referencing the sponsor Subway: "Even if you're a lesbian, get a...