Reporter confronts drunk football fans shouting sexual abuse during her live broadcast

One fan defended it as something that 'happens in England'

CityNews reporter Shauna Hunt confronts abusive fans

A sports reporter in Canada has finally confronted drunk football fans who interrupted her live broadcast to take part in a sexist online craze – and her actions could now see others who do so arrested.

The trend, which has infuriated broadcasters around the world and saw Sky Sports News abandon whole sections of its transfer deadline day coverage, involves fans moving in front of the camera and shouting “f*** her right in the p****”.

CityNews reporter Shauna Hunt was conducting interviews outside a Toronto FC game on Sunday when she stopped to question some men taking part in the prank, telling them: “I’m sick of this, I get this 10 times every single day.”

One fan, who attempted to justify his actions by saying the phrase was “substantial”, asked: “Are you really filming this?”

And when told by Ms Hunt that “it’s a disgusting thing to say, it’s degrading to women,” he replied: “When else are you going to do it?”

Another man, wearing an Arsenal shirt, claimed shouting the phrase to camera was fine because it “happens in England”, and said that if his mother found out he was doing it she would “die laughing, eventually”.

Ms Hunt’s objection is receiving some viral attention of its own and has been viewed thousands of times on YouTube.

But perhaps more significantly, it could see others who take part in the meme arrested on potentially numerous grounds of “breach of the peace, harassment and sexual harassment”.

CityNews said Calgary police was prepared to press charges, and that the force had contacted broadcasters in the city telling them: “We had a legal opinion obtained and have concluded this activity constitutes grounds for a charge and arrest.”

The station’s Adrian Ghobrial hailed the news, saying: “For my female colleagues and female reporters and journalists across North America, it’s sexual harassment and it’s disgusting and needs to stop.”