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England's Official Twitter Account Deletes 'Breathtakingly Sexist' Tweet In Women's World Cup Aftermath

'Breathtakingly Sexist' Tweet Deleted By England's Official Twitter Account
Aubrey Allegretti
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England's Lucy Bronze makes a cross during the FIFA Women's World Cup Canada 2015 Semi Final match between Japan and England at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Vaughn Ridley/EMPICS Sport

A tweet sent from England's official Twitter account, later deleted, has prompted uproar from users who blasted its message as being "breathtakingly sexist".

The post was published hours after England's women team arrived back in the UK, having fought a valiant battle and come third in the Women's World Cup tournament.

Published on Monday afternoon, the message read: "Our #Lionesses go back to being mothers, partners and daughters today, but they have taken on another title - heroes."

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Screenshotted: The offending tweet

It paraphrased a similar line to the top paragraph of an article linked to in the post about the players flying home.

Before, above, and after, below

The offending tweet and opening paragraph of the story were quickly removed, but not before other users noticed, many re-posting the content and criticising account handlers for undermining the bronze medal-winning women players' roles and achievements.

A verified account with more than 1.2 million followers, the footie faux-pas from England triggered an immediate and intense backlash.

England's women football team endured a nail-biting semi-final on Thursday, the Lionesses netting an own goal in the 91st minute, leaving the score 2-1 to their opponents, Japan.

The FA, which manages the England team's Twitter account, said in statement: "The full story was a wider homecoming feature attempting to reflect the many personal stories within the playing squad as has been told throughout the course of the tournament.

"However, we understand that an element of the story appears to have been taken out of context and the opening paragraph was subsequently revised to reflect that fact.”

The Women's England Football Team arrived back in the UK on Monday.

Crowds were waiting to welcome them home at Heathrow Airport with England flags.

England Women's Team Arrive Home
England Women's Team Arrive Back from the World Cup(01 of18)
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Fran Kirby walks through arrivals as the England Women's Team arrive back from the World Cup at Heathrow Airport on July 6, 2015 in London, England. (credit:The FA via Getty Images)
England Women's Team Arrive Back from the World Cup(02 of18)
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Karen Bardsley and Ellen White hug each other goodbye as the England Women's Team arrive back from the World Cup at Heathrow Airport on July 6, 2015 in London, England. (credit:The FA via Getty Images)
England Women's Team Arrive Back from the World Cup(03 of18)
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Claire Rafferty poses for the camera's as the England Women's Team arrive back from the World Cup at Heathrow Airport on July 6, 2015 in London, England. (credit:The FA via Getty Images)
England Women's Team Arrive Back from the World Cup(04 of18)
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England Women's football team arrive from the World Cup at Heathrow Airport on July 6, 2015 in London, England. (Photo by Tom Dulat/Getty Images). (credit:Tom Dulat via Getty Images)
England Women's Team Arrive Back from the World Cup(05 of18)
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Laura Bassett talks to the media with her team mates as the England Women's Team arrive back from the World Cup at Heathrow Airport on July 6, 2015 in London, England. (credit:The FA via Getty Images)
England Women's Team Arrive Back from the World Cup(06 of18)
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Fara Williams poses for the camera with fan Summer-Lily Robinson as the England Women's Team arrive back from the World Cup at Heathrow Airport on July 6, 2015 in London, England. (credit:The FA via Getty Images)
England Women's Team Arrive Back from the World Cup(07 of18)
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Karen Bardsley walks through arrivals as England Women's Team arrive back from the World Cup at Heathrow Airport on July 6, 2015 in London, England. (credit:The FA via Getty Images)
England Women's Team Arrive Back from the World Cup(08 of18)
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Karen Bardsley of England Women's team arrives back from the World Cup at Heathrow Airport on July 6, 2015 in London, England. (Photo by Tom Dulat/Getty Images). (credit:Tom Dulat via Getty Images)
England Women's Team Arrive Back from the World Cup(09 of18)
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Laura Bassett of the England Women's team signs autographs after arriving back from the World Cup at Heathrow Airport on July 6, 2015 in London, England. (credit:Tom Dulat via Getty Images)
England Women's Team Arrive Back from the World Cup(10 of18)
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Steph Houghton signs autographs for fans as the England Women's Team arrive back from the World Cup at Heathrow Airport on July 6, 2015 in London, England. (credit:The FA via Getty Images)
England Women's Team Arrive Back from the World Cup(11 of18)
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Steph Houghton smiles towards their fans as the England Women's Team arrive back from the World Cup at Heathrow Airport on July 6, 2015 in London, England. (credit:The FA via Getty Images)
England Women's Team Arrive Back from the World Cup(12 of18)
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Laura Bassett is hugged goodbye by her team mates as the England Women's Team arrive back from the World Cup at Heathrow Airport on July 6, 2015 in London, England. (credit:The FA via Getty Images)
England Women's Team Arrive Back from the World Cup(13 of18)
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Ellen White and Eniola Aluko hug each other goodbye as the England Women's Team arrive back from the World Cup at Heathrow Airport on July 6, 2015 in London, England. (credit:The FA via Getty Images)
England Women's Team Arrive Back from the World Cup(14 of18)
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England Women's team manager Mark Sampson poses for photos with fans after arriving back from the World Cup at Heathrow Airport on July 6, 2015 in London, England. (credit:Tom Dulat via Getty Images)
England Women's Team Arrive Back from the World Cup(15 of18)
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Farah Williams of England poses for photos with a fan during England Women's team arrival back from the World Cup at Heathrow Airport on July 6, 2015 in London, England. (credit:Tom Dulat via Getty Images)
England Women's Team Arrive Back from the World Cup(16 of18)
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England Women's team manager Mark Sampson arrives back from the World Cup at Heathrow Airport on July 6, 2015 in London, England. (credit:Tom Dulat via Getty Images)
England Women's Team Arrive Back from the World Cup(17 of18)
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England Women's football team arrives from the World Cup at Heathrow Airport on July 6, 2015 in London, England. (credit:Tom Dulat via Getty Images)
England Women's Team Arrive Back from the World Cup(18 of18)
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England Women's team pose for photos during their arrival from the World Cup at Heathrow Airport on July 6, 2015 in London, England. (credit:Tom Dulat via Getty Images)

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