Benni McCarthy Reflects on Hurtful Fat-Shaming Criticism

South African soccer legend Benni McCarthy has revisited the moment a UK sports columnist fat-shamed him. The incident happened during his time in the English Premier League. The Hanover Park-born star shares the experience in his first memoir, Benni. In the book, he reflects on the highs and lows of his football career.

The biography includes a special foreword by world-famous coach Jose Mourinho. It is now available in bookstores and online.

From Cape Flats Football to European Glory

In his memoir, McCarthy describes his rise from “gangster football” in the Cape Flats. He later played for major international clubs across Europe. He also discusses his strained relationship with the South African Football Association. He believes the tension affected his performances for Bafana Bafana. During his career, he played for Ajax Amsterdam, Celta Vigo, Porto, Blackburn Rovers, and West Ham United.

However, in 2010, after joining West Ham, he suffered a serious knee ligament injury. The injury ruled him out of training and matches. As a result, he gained weight during recovery. He had maintained about 80 kilograms throughout his career. Soon, he found himself “four to five kilos overweight and struggling to get into the team”.

At the time, the club faced relegation pressure and his form declined. He was repeatedly fined for weight gain. Critics quickly targeted him. West Ham vice-chairperson Karren Brady criticised his weight in a Sun column.

She wrote: “Rather than the super scorer we hoped for, we acquired a super size, a player devoted to filling his belly more than filling the net. As time went by, he grew bigger and bigger, and although in time he made a great effort to slim down, he’d passed the waistline of no return. “

McCarthy responded strongly to the criticism.
He wrote: “A lot of hurtful, frankly unnecessary stuff, but when the newspapers asked me for my reaction, I called her ‘the devil with t*ts,’ and that certainly grabbed the headlines. In fact, it cost me about 100 00) pounds because the mutual termination contract had a clause in it that I could not say anything disparaging about the club, and at that stage, they hadn’t paid the termination in full”.

Over the years, he and Brady continued exchanging barbs in the media.

Clash with Chiefs and the Pirates Comeback

McCarthy also faced criticism after returning to South Africa in 2011. His West Ham contract had been terminated. Kaizer Chiefs manager Bobby Motaung publicly dismissed signing him. He stated: “Chiefs sign big fishes, not fishes who cannot swim anymore.”

McCarthy was 33 years old at the time. He believed he was “far from finished.”

He wrote:

“Maybe it was a quip, but that kind of talk always gets my blood boiling, and my character is such that the first thing I think of then is ‘I’ll show you who is a has-been and who is not.”

Motivated by the remarks, he signed with Orlando Pirates. He later enjoyed memorable victories against Kaizer Chiefs.

He recalled one derby victory, writing:

“It was probably one of the easiest derbies that Pirates had ever won, and when Bobby Motaung approached me afterwards, I told him in no uncertain terms, ‘As long as I’m playing for Pirates, Chiefs are never going to beat us. You said an old fish can’t swim, I’ll show you”.

Motaung later apologised.

However, challenges continued at Pirates. Incoming coaches sometimes labelled him the “fat guy”.

He said:

“That’s no joke for me. There should always bea level of respect between people in the game”.

After a 17-year professional career, Benni McCarthy retired from football in 2013.


Flipcash is Your Trusted PayPal & Crypto Exchange Partner in Zimbabwe — WhatsApp +263 77 163 9263

The post Benni McCarthy Reflects on Hurtful Fat-Shaming Criticism appeared first on iHarare News.

  • 0