Tottenham Hotspur were issued an apology from WSL Football after TikTok influencer GK Barry made an anti-Spurs comment during the Women’s League Cup draw.
The apology came after a chaotic quarter-final and semi-final draw for the Subway League Cup on Tuesday, which also featured Barry making a number of innuendos and mistakenly placing a ball back into the bag.
The draw for the Subway League Cup was hosted by influencer Barry and her partner Ella Rutherford, who plays for Portsmouth. The draw was streamed live on TikTok, with Barry responsible for drawing the balls and Rutherford providing context.
However, the draw’s conduct was criticised by both fans and clubs. Barry opened the draw with a crude remark. She then smacked the bag holding the draw balls against her backside, adding: “Give it a shake, a spank for luck.”
Later, Barry pulled a ball out of the bag, before placing it back into the bag. She then pulled the ball back out — revealing Tottenham’s number on it — and asking on camera whether she could do so, before adding: “I’ve done it now, it’s too late. Oh, I picked up the same ball.”
Sources, speaking on the condition of anonymity, indicated an adjudicator was present at the draw and confirmed that it was the same ball pulled out of the bag. Otherwise, a redraw would have been required.
Afterwards, Barry asked: “What do we think of Tottenham?” to her partner — a reference to an anti-Spurs chant popularised by Arsenal fans.
According to sources, Tottenham have since received an apology from WSL Football regarding the comment, emphasising it was not appropriate.
Due to being streamed live on TikTok, there is no official replay of the draw on the WSL’s official social channels, though fans have recorded clips.
Other clubs were also the subject of jokes during the draw. Barry asked how good certain teams were while also asking what colour kits are worn by Liverpool and Chelsea. The draw ended with Barry making another innuendo as she referenced the competition’s sponsor Subway.
When fans complained about the difficulty in following the draw and requesting graphics on screen for guidance, Barry joked that she required a larger budget.
The thinking behind recruiting Barry, who boasts over four million followers on TikTok, for the draw was engagement with a new and younger audience.
League Cup holders Chelsea will travel to Liverpool for the quarter-finals. WSL leaders Manchester City will travel to West Ham United, while Manchester United will host Tottenham Hotspur. Arsenal will host Crystal Palace, who are the only WSL 2 representatives to make it to the quarter-final stage.
The winners of Liverpool versus Chelsea will face the winners of City and West Ham, while the winners of Manchester United versus Tottenham will face the winners of Arsenal versus Palace.