Sexism and Football From a Female Perspective

I'm a virgin.

its one thing to know the offside rule, another to actually BE a linesman/lineswoman.. Not only does she obviously know the rules but she can be a lineswoman as she has proven. If andy gray or that other guy tried to actually run the line rather than just analyse it in a slow motion video after the game, well.. lets just say it would be embarassing for them.

A further point, is that clearly she IS good enough to do it since she has been selected based on passed performances and some sort of assessment they do to decide who is good enough to ref. If people arent happy with her selection as a lineswoman, they should critisise the people who selected her and deemed her good enough to do it. Its irrelevant anyway since as it appears, she is good enough. In conclusion, they need to get sacked.

Sairax -- thank you for a thoughtful post. As a liberal guy, I shared your concern that the lineswoman would get a call wrong (she will eventually, it's part of the game), and that sexist commentators would jump all over it, overextrapolating from one instance to an idiotic generalization that women can't do X. If it was a guy missing a call, it would just be about one guy making one bad call, or maybe one guy proving that he is incompetent. But the commentators wouldn't say, "see, guys make bad linesmen," or "see, white guys make bad linesmen." But if it's a woman -- then somehow it's acceptable for some neanderthals to shift from the individual to the group and go nuts -- "see, women make bad linesmen."

We see this horrible treatment of racial minorities, foreigners, gays & lesbians, and women in all areas of life. The majority group is anxious with the opening up of their world to traditionally excluded groups, they are resistant, and then they warp the facts or logic to justify expressing their insecurity.

But progress is on our side.

wow sairax 81 comments, I am not commenting because its too late (i was in a mountain that showed me the whole city, 5 islands in the pacific, the airport and the sight of the other ocean...of course no internet :).
Oh and BTW we had breakfats in the hotel near the airport and there were 2 Pnamanian national team players, and goyt a pic of Gigi Jr with one of them (Baloy) who at some point was being watched by AW. They were to play for the 3rd place and won (uncaf cup) so he said Gigi Jr gave him luck, and how is all this related to you? because its for the Gold cup and I think Canada will be there as well.

Wow, a lot of neanderthal morons on this thread.

In sexist macho Brazil, there have been linesWOMEN and more and more refs at the top level
for years - and there's been no controversey about it.

To neanderthal idiots like Geoff: GROW THE HELL UP! We're here and we're not going away! Deal with it, little boy.

Bigoted morons like Georff and Gray and Keys are just petulant little crybabies who get hysterical at the sight of a woman intruding into their little boy sandbox. Their opinions are worthless.

And if you listen to the recording, you can see it's not just banter - and it's not a private conversation because they still have their mics on. Anyone who works in broadcasting understands that if you have your mic on nothing you say is private. They even sound angry - and it's clear they believe what they're saying.

That was some poor paasive sexism by Keys/Grey. Very saddening to see.
It was intersting though, when the offside call was made at the time, the only people who commented on my twitter about it being a female referee was 2 women. And my immediate thought was 'Why does it matter, and get special attention just because it was a woman?' It seemed to me the two of them were already on defense-mode of this referee and making a deal out of it being a female before anyone else had. It struck me as odd, and sad, that there were people defending her before these comments were ever revealed to them.
Of course then Key/Grey had to be the dinosaurs they are and reveal (once again) how moronic they are, and justified these commented in the end. But it still seemed to me that the assumption of sexism by these two females could be considered sexism towards men's behaviours as well.
I by no way condone this type of talk, and Keys/Grey could/should be fired for it, but it seems to me that we as a people are a touch too sensitive nowadays, looking for slights against us (and 'our kind').

Man, I stay away from the internet (mostly) for a day, and we get an interesting topic.
I hereby degree no thought provoking topics shall be dicussed on Sundays, as I am busy with family....
Thought I would give it a shot...

Out of curiosity, what would 'your kind' be? As a minority, especially if you are in more ways than one (gay, female, Jewish, Muslim, black, etc) maybe it does come across as being sensitive. However, you have to realize the challenges a person faces and that often they have been subject to prejudice and bigotry before, and not just sporadically. The girls that reacted on twitter were probably waiting for a reaction because we so often hear it, and in fact there were sexist comments made. It's just a sad reality reality, but one that people often have to deal with in the workplace. Another reality is that women still have worse things to worry about than just comments.

I understand there is sexism, and the comments were made in fear of what will/would be said in the future, and I don't necessarily mean to discredit that. (although in some ways, I understand I already have) Just because the the comments did come about afterwards though, doesn't completely justify it. What if that audio had never come out? Those comments could be considered sexism towards men, and still could be, since they were made before the audio came out. Sure, you can justify it, but by letter of the word 'sexism', that is what those coments were. If you understand what I am saying, not sure if I explained that well.

As for me, and 'my kind', I am a male caucasian, that is religious. I tell poeple I am Christian and have already been labeled by people. And a Christian lable nowadays seems to have it's own negative connotation nowadays, and it's not entirely pleasant as well, but no one seems to think a discrimmination to Christians is a problem.
C'est la vie

I guess I don't know what exact comments were made, but obviously if it were overtly sexist, that isn't right. I'm sorry if you have encountered discrimination as a Christian, though I have to say, living in a country that is predominately Christian might make life a bit easier.

Historically a country that is predominately Christian yes. More and more becoming a country without religion.
Anyways, I didn't bring it up to make it 'look at me, I'm being discrimminated against!' My main point was basically yes, it happens. No I don't like it, and neither does anyone else. But in alot of ways, I think we are overtly too sensitive to every little thing someone says.

Fair enough, though I thought my article was focused more on the specific comments that were made.

Yes they were. And I agree 100% with the article.
I was just pointing out that before the comments were even made known there were women making a 'big deal' (it wasn't a big deal on twitter) about it being a women and the percieved bias from men.
So it goes both ways, it's part of life.

Well, at least there is some official response from Sky

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/h...

kudos to you, sairax, for this post and other posts about women in football. it's nice to have a blogger that takes a step back from the game itself and looks at it within a broader context.

There is nothing wrong with arranged marriage per se... I would consider that a lack of understanding the worthier aspects of a particular part of different cultures. I agree with the rest of this post and enjoyed the read - and I don't mean to be contrarian - but I do find that particular bit slightly offensive.

Both sets of my grandparents had arranged marriages. I just personally wouldn't want one and am glad that I don't have to have one.

Kudos, Sairax.

I know we joked around with this a bit on Twitter Sairax but in all honestly, it's just appalling. Andy Gray is an idiot anyway but there's no room in football for this kind of stuff. They want to stamp out racism and yet there's sexist pundits out there?

Just had to add that Louis CK is absolutely hilarious

I don't think the real issue is if she knows the offside rule.........lets cut to the chase would you give her one?

You will miss everything good in life and die angry and alone.

Sairax, many thank for your post, it's both thoughtful and thought provoking. I'm just sorry my reply is so long!

On the specific issue of a woman running the line in an EPL game, for anyone using more than a couple of neurons, it's obviously not a problem. They're officiating, not competing; if a person is good enough in terms of knowledge and application of the rules of the game, end of debate. Christ knows, the quality of football officials in England isn't high enough to exclude anyone, women included. The fact that Massey got the crucial offside decision right just underlines the point. Of course Massey will make mistakes in the future, all officials do (much as I wish that weren't true) and she will as well. But whatever errors she makes should be treated the same as those of other officials. They won't, the comments of Gray and Keys prove that fact, but they should.

As for what Keys and Gray said, I wish I were shocked, but it's depressingly predictable. Gray should apologise, he should know better. Keys is a fool who has given the football watching population of the UK precisely zero in his many years on Sky - as such, I expect nothing from him, he's an irrelevance.

But let me say Sairax, I'm really pleased you used this narrow issue as a chance to comment on broader issues relating to professional football and women. I'm both a lifelong and passionate Gooner and I am also a father of an 8 year old daughter and a 5 year old son, who happen to be half-Indian (my wife is Gujarati). Both my kids love football and Arsenal, and I love taking them to watch games. The dimwits who've responded aggressively to your post suggest women have no place in football, and Andy Gray says a woman can't understand the offside rule. So am I supposed to tell my daughter her views on who's a good player or whether the team's doing well or whether someone is offside are less than valid because she's a girl? Just as a lino can be of either sex, so can someone writing or talking about the game. I knew Amy Lawrence, one of The Guardian's football writers, when we were at university (and when she ran the Yorkshire Gooners Club!) and I can say from personal knowledge that she knows as much as anyone about the game. I am a football obsessive and I know many others but the most dedicated, passionate fan I know is a female friend of mine who (madly) is utterly committed to Bristol Rovers. So don't let anyone say that women can't or don't know just as much about the game as men; knowledge and understanding of the game comes from watching and analysing the game, simple as that. I'll encourage both my kids to love and appreciate football (and other sports), and they'll know that the fact one's male and one's female will mean nothing in terms of their capacity to love the game.

As for women's football, anyone who watches it (and I don't believe many of the people who dismiss it have actually watched it) knows at the elite level it has reached high standards. I'm proud that the Arsenal women's team is the best in this country and one of the best in Europe. The likes of Faye White, Rachel Yankey and Katie Chapman are genuinely talented players, and the team is highly organised. I've taken my kids to one Arsenal women's game and we all loved it. A return is being planned. There are differences between the women's and the men's game, that's neither a shock nor a problem. But why do some men feel the need to denigrate women's football, what are they scared of? The pity of it in England is that the FA actively attacked and undermined women's football from the 1920s until the 1990s. It is emerging from those years and it is progressing well. When Arsenal's women's team started to do well and the players paraded trophies at Highbury, there were lots of silly, sexist remarks, but over the years they have gone. The Arsenal fans have learned that the women's sustained successes and improvements demand and deserve respect, and it is given.

Thank you for your comments. I appreciate your thoughtful response.

Btw I'm Gujarati on my mom's side ;)

Well what do you know, I am a Guju too...ha.

I thought you and Martin avoided the sensationalistic blogs that were geared towards generating a bunch of additional web hits. =) Just kidding. I've been reading this blog for a while, and I appreciate all the blogging on here.
Now to make a few points... I guess this issue has a lot more to do with politics and sports, when we get right down to it. So I'll write from my conservative/libertarian point of view.
I'm totally with you that women should be able to do whatever IF they're given their positions due to ability and not affirmative action. But I have to say that sometimes I do feel that women are given positions not due to pure merit. For instance, I see tons of very good looking women on tv, doing sports shows. And they often know nothing about the sport, but everyone and their dog knows they've been given that position because their looks appeal to the mostly male audience. So then sometimes they complain about not being taken seriously enough by the viewers. To give a particular example, there was a woman who complained about being whistled at and so forth by members of the New York Jets a couple months ago. But the same woman (who of course was attractive) had done all sorts of flirty things through her role, and often wore very provocative attire.
Now another example... I really don't follow car racing at all. But I know that a certain womam keeps getting promoted, getting sponsorships, getting this and that, even though she never wins anything. And why? Because she's very attractive, and doesn't mind posing half naked in various magazines. But then we have to take her seriously for "her racing ability."
Another example... I'm a fan of pro tennis, and a lot of them women want to complain that they should be paid as much as the men. I think their prize money is actually the same as men's at at least one of the majors. And while women's tennis is fairly popular, it's certainly not as popular as men's. So if not as many people watch it, why should the participants "deserve" equal pay?
Finally, let me discuss another example, but from the area of race and not gender. In the NFL, there's a thing called the "Rooney Rule." And it says if there's a head coaching vacancy, the owner MUST interview at least one minority before filling the position. And there's constant pressure from the media, the NFL itself, and other sources for owners to not just follow the Rooney Rule interviews, but to actually hire more minority coaches. Now of course I don't mind people getting hired if they're the most deserving. And, in fact, the coach of my favorite NFL team is black as well, and doing a fine job. But if fans want to roll their eyes and say a guy got a job because he was a minority, then I can at least understand where said fan got that opinion.
So with the backdrop of all these instances, plus a ton more, viewers are always going to be skeptical. We have to ask the question, "Did this woman get her position because she's really good at her job? Or is this another effort to pursue another project of political correctness or affirmative action?"

The certain woman in auto racing you're talking about is Danica Patrick. She's the only woman to ever win an IRL race, she's finished in the top 10 of that championship in four of the last six years, she should have won the Indy 500 in 2005 and has placed in the top 10 in that race five times (and in the top five twice). Given that her car is not from one of the two dominant teams, I'd say that ain't half bad.

Sorry for being pedantic, but she's actually taken seriously for her racing ability by now.

Fair enough, Homey. Thanks for the comments. I agree, minorities shouldn't get jobs purely because they are minorities, but they should have the same opportunities as everyone else. So if there is a job opening, you should be able to get an interview if you have the same qualifications.

About the tennis, I believe I heard somewhere that actually a couple of the Majors tournaments have larger amounts in their cash prizes than the men's tournaments. Don't know the whole story behind it, but I think I heard about it during the US Open.

As for women who don't know what they're talking about, well, do I really have to go through all of the men who seemlingly stay on air even when they talk nonsense week in week out? ;)

As long as you don't talk about the male bloggers who write nonsense week in week out...

Well, the Ax did say "on the air," so I think you're safe from her comments.

Disqus wouldn't allow me to really edit, so I apologize for a couple of typos in the above post.

women should not be allowed in mens football FULLSTOP

what the f*ck is she doing in our game, f*ck off and stick to your own sex game - women have no place in mens football

Thanks for this post and lucky that I stumbled on to it otherwise I'd have completely missed this controversy.

I must say I was quite happy to see the lady 'assistant ref' while watching the highlights. I even called my wife to come and have a look and she found it a pleasant surprise. Normally she wouldn't have bothered about a Wolves - Liverpool match even if I put a gun to her head.

But I'm not convinced by some parts of your post. Amongst all the women I know there is hardly anyone who takes interest in football, leave aside actually analyzing and studying the details of the game. So if I personally met some lady who knew the game I'd be surprised. That is not sexism. It could just be genuine but pleasant surprise and boils down to the fact that compared to men, fewer women take interest in football. Technically, I don't have any proof for that but I'd like to believe that is a fact. Once I do meet a few women who know the game I won't be surprised, but just that reaction alone should not be seen as sexism.

Some men might be sexist but I could give you some counter examples as well. I don't think it proves anything.Some people are old-fashioned, some are orthodox, some are liberal, some are idiots, and everyone has their views. It's not fair to generalize based on some examples.

Hum, Okay… Theoretically, people should not care about whether it is a woman, an homosexual or a black person who is playing, refereeing or managing (Paul Ince was once the manager of Black Burn rovers so much for the no black referee… and he got fired because of the lack of result)… A decent football fan would go to the game just to see if his team win and how the players have done and not to judge if a player looked suspiciously gay or if a woman will be a bad lines referee. In a perfect world, all this is irrelevant…
I am indifferent that a woman took part of the refereeing because to me it meant nothing. At the end, she did her job as any other men would have done so unnecessary credits are pointless.

I said there were no black managers at the moment, not there's never been one. Chris Hughton was Newcastle manager as well.

**(Paul Ince was once the manager of Black Burn rovers so much for the no black manager… and he got fired because of the lack of result)**

I think that screening "Bend It Like Beckham" prior to every game is the solution to this issue

My only problem with females being involved in football is that it's human nature to protect females..so she will never be treated as an equal in one way or another. Players will treat her differently, pundits will treat her differently, and then everybody will pull out the sexism card. You said yourself that you paid special attention to the female ref and was happy that she was there, showing that deep down you are just as gender conscious as any man, if not mildly sexist in your preference towards women.

Refs get a ton of abuse and get called horrible names ALL the time...they are exploited for their weaknesses, their weight problems, etc. but whenever anyone does that to a female it's immediately sexism. if you want to be treated as equals in football, female refs and female football watchers have to learn to take the abuse on the chin like the males do.

I hope women get more involved with football, but I also hope that they are not given any preferential treatment or special attention, which includes an overly defensive female football fanbase

I am furious about the whole incidient and was directed here to read this by another female fan (we are both Chelsea fans btw!) I just want to say well said and to point out that we aren't immune to sexism in the Canadian media. Yesterday this was tweeted following the Torres goal:

@sportsnetsoccer Fine goal by Torres for #Liverpool. Female assistant but she got it right, not offside.

Seriously, "but she got it right"?? I promptly unfollowed.

I know there's always going to be issues and that things aren't perfect, but I just wanted to give credit to those covering women in football without inherent bias.

Thanks for reading. There is also a Chelsea blog on the Offside if you want to check it out :)

To be frank, all I was thinking as I watched her run up an down the pitch, was why oh why did they give her a huge flag? And then I realised she was sooo small awwwww!

She did a good job, great piece.

Hmmmm a blog which only allows comments which praise the author.
You clearly discriminate against anyone who has a different point of view to you, you're a feminazi.

I love the fact that your own comment, by the fact that it exists here and hasn't been moderated, shows that you are (a) wrong, and (b) an idiot. I'm extremely jealous, as I can hardly ever find a way to make 2 definitive points in 2 short sentences like that.

Belated support to your comment Martin. :-)

When Andy Gray isn't saying nasty things like that, he is an AMAZING commentator and pundit, full of wit, funny catch-phrases, and color... possibly the best I've ever heard, and I've heard many. The idea of a bunch Julie Foudys commentating EPL games seriously makes me shudder, makes me think I might even stop watching the game! A non-ferocious, high womanly voice is simply not appropriate to commentate such a physical, manly, fast-paced, and passionate game. That's my take.

You say there is no difference between the sexes. Are you kidding me? What about physical differences?? If women could play football at the same level as men, I would shut up, but they simply CAN'T. The best woman's team in the world may possibly have an equal contest with say... a men's team from the 3rd Bulgarian division. That's a fact. I'm not saying women can't be good referees, because all that job requires is a knowledge of the rules and attention to the game, but that is where their involvement in the man's game must stop, lest the game become boring, weak, and diluted.

Where did I say there is no difference between the sexes?

It's so easy to claim sexism to try and get what you want. I see another example of female chauvnism here.....generalising about football fans and there attitudes and then claiming to be the victim. Also, supporting a linesperson because of what they have between their legs is pretty disappointing for someone claiming to be championing the cause of equal rights, because this support is clearly gender based.This is just another cause celebre to try and put people on the defensive, that they have to make a big speech about how they are against sexism etc.
Equal rights? Yes. Stereotyping football fans? No thanks.
Most of us are tired of a society where if someone screws up or don't get what they want and they don't happen to be white/straight/male etc. they can accuse anyone of discriminating against them for that reason when quite clearly there is more to it than that.

I'm not trying to claim sexism to get what I want. I'm not sure where I made negative generalizations about all football fans. I believe I pointed out that not all fans are like that. I'm responding to remarks made by Keys and Gray, who were caught off camera making comments that were clearly sexist.

A very well written blog.

When she allowed play to continue and Pool scored my first reaction was she had made a mistake, I thought it was offside. I was pleased she got it right because I'm sure there are plenty of people out there wanting her to get it wrong ! Later on she got an offside decision for Pool wrong (Maxi/Torres) she didn't get it wrong because she's a woman, Linesmen/Lineswomen will make mistakes. Good luck to her.

That was a great post. I love your style. It is unfortunate that many people are primitive in their thinking. I hate all sorts of discrimination. It is a result of prejudice and prejudice is stupid. Great work.

Well, for my part I was absolutely thrilled that she got the call right. Though seeing as I probably wouldn't have complained overmuch had Meireles been marginally offside, I might be a little biased. My views on Andy Gray, and the majority of the English announcers, are probably a little biased, too.

And if the Canadian women aren't playing hoofball any more, that might make the occasional stumbled across match at midnight on the CBC borderline enjoyable. Or at least more enjoyable than the Canadian men (I'll get my coat).

Yes, the women are playing quite well right now. They could be dark horses for the World Cup this summer. The men's team, well, they still have a way to go lol But there are changes being made and we're trying to get some players capped as well.

Great post Sairax!

Fortunately I haven't encountered that much sexism when it comes to my football watching. However the other day I was discussing football with some of my (male) friends and one of them was very surprised and flat out asked me "why do YOU watch football??" This is a guy who has never disrespected me or shown any sexism in any way. I was a bit shocked and couldn't come up with a clever answer so I just said I watch it because I like it...

And btw to the sad people leaving the disgusting comments here, you are only confirming the sexism that Sairax is writing about. GOOD JOB :D

I'm a guy and just about everybody questions me as to "why I watch Soccer". I guess thats just a part of being American :)

i hope sky have the balls to make the two arrogant idiots apologise on air at a minimum, but hopefully sack them

The comparisons are absolute garbage I've watched many women's football matches here in Norway,and the female lineswomen and refs make just as many mistakes in a game as their male counterparts gender shouldn't be the issue here,she made a fantastic call then two minutes later she made a wrong call in fact she made several wrong calls that's football,get over yourself.Fantastic there was a woman at the game yesterday doing what she was paid for, get over it and move on,As for your "There is not one female, black, or gay manager in the Premier League" So?Are you suggesting that it's because of their race,gender or sexual preferences that are the main cause of this ?Or maybe it could be that they are not represented because they are not qualified or good enough to coach at this level.I was at an F.A.coaching course last year and there were at least 10 women on the course and no-one(Quite rightly so)Made a big deal about this in fact one or two of them had to keep reminding us that they were in fact women whilst the "Minority representatives(Myself included) just got on with what we were there for, so maybe in the future you may get to see your dream come true.I wonder how you would have reacted had they focused on her bad calls?Boo hoo hoo it's because I'm a woman etc etc.

Fucking hell dude, that was one hell of spiel just to say 'I'm a moron and missed the point of the post totally entirely.

I'm not saying women do not make bad calls. I'm not saying poor female refs should get to officiate matches. I believe I mentioned that she should be a an assistant based on merit.

As for not being qualified, there are plenty of managers that have not been qualified but have gotten a job as a manager. Alan Shearer did not have the proper credentials to take over the Newcastle job, yet they made an exception for him. There are some very good female managers, including Hope Powell, current England Women's National Team manager who are very qualified for a managerial position in the Premier League, but have not been considered as potential candidates. If you think that a person's race or gender has no bearing on how they are treated in football or their opportunities within the game, I would strenuously disagree.

Well written article & the female lineswoman had a good game, well done.

Up and down post I think, but on the whole you're spot on. There is absolutely no reason why women can't officiate in male football and from what I've heard she did a very good job. And to say 'women don't understand the offside rule' is just pig ignorant.

But I do feel you played the 'victim' card once or twice where it wasn't warrented. Firstly you imply your 'brown skin' is something would present a barrier to you ever sharing a pitch with Henry and Ronaldo... both players who themselves have 'brown skin'. And I'm afraid women will never share a pitch with men for two reasons. 1) Men play at a different level. It is not sexist to say that (generally, not absolutely) men are stronger, better co-ordinated and more athletic than women, it is a biological fact. The two sexes DO HAVE differences and both have their 'strengths'; that of men just happens to be physical. Which leads on to the second reason... even if a woman did have the ability to play at the highest level, I can guarantee you the likes of Nemanja Vidic would not fly into a tackle against her the same we he might against Emile Heskey. He might not consciously intend to hold back but every single player would, and you cannot have players on the pitch that prevent the opposition from playing in the way they otherwise would. But with both of these you did say they were sadnesses you felt as a child but not so much anymore, so maybe I didn't need to point those things out.

You also mention that women are not paid the same as men. Football is business in a free market economy and therefore people are paid according to their worth. It is the men who bring in 99% of the money (espescially in Europe) making them worth more and thereofre they are paid more. It may be sad, it may not, but that's just how it is.

But like I said, Gray and Keys' views are very outdated and there are plenty of women who understand football better than plenty of men, and if Sian Massey is good enough to be a linesman at the top level then good luck to her. It's not like her male colleagues have set the standard particularly high!

Of course there are certain sports that women and men can't play together. And the 'brown' thing, well, I was probably trying to say that I didn't see a lot of Indians in football. I was just trying to convey how I felt, personally. Maybe it's wrong or right, but it's the feeling I had.

As for some of your other points, I'd just say that men had a pretty big head start to get established in various sports. There was a time when women were oppressed from having basic rights, let alone the chance to play a sport. I'd say that there are many women that have become just as popular as their male counterparts in their sport (tennis for example), but in football there is still a serious problem with the attitude of many men within the sport, which is not helpful at all to the women who are trying to raise the level of women's football.

Personally, I believe that Key's and Gray are just fulfilling their roles as the 'prat down the pub' with an opinion on everything - knowledge of nothing. There is always someone mouthing off sh*t, and sadly it is usually a case of the dummer they are, the louder they shout.

I cant say i mind watching a hottie run the line infront of me, better that than a balding middle aged man.

Are we really surprised by commets of Keys & Gray i think not. Keys knows nothing about football & Gray just loves the sound of his own voice.
Its just a shame that Skysports didn't not sack the muppets & give their jobs to a couple of women!!

The remarks made by Keys and Gray are as bad as the racist comments by Ron Atkinson which cost him his job. The game (and the world ) have passed these two dinosaurs by and Sky should do the right thing and get rid of them.

Great post, Sairax. I didn't really get a chance to watch much of Wolves-Liverpool yesterday because of the godawful hour that match was played at, but I did hear the pundits talking about how she had a good game. I had wanted her to do well, but I realized how absurd that actually is a little later. We're a long way away from this point, but we have to try to get to the point where gender simply doesn't come into it at all.

The sporting world, in many ways, has been a boys club for as long as anyone can remember, and while things are slowly getting better, we still have a long way to go.

Signed,
A guy who's a feminist

I can't see any problem - she did her job well.

I've never understood why we are subjected to Keys - not a football person and a total dimwit.

As for Gray - don't get me started... ;)

Should only be allowed if they're made to wear nothing but knee high socks and footy boots!

Political Correctness Gone Mad... As for the comedian, middle class wanker.

I completely agree . Everybody should be given the right to be involved in the game .Kick racism outta football, isnt that the motto of fifa.then why do we have such muppets like" Pie& chips twice" in the footballing world. stupid male chauvinists should go grow a pair. I think from my Language u will understand that i am a male talking and i admire the fact that u wrote what is true.the only problem u have is u support liverpool!!

Taking it a bit serious arn't you, tit! Sucking up to the lesbo writer ain't gonna get you laid you virgin!

Fuck right off.

moron

i thought id get muppets like u replying like this.why dont u go get laid with ur momma's hairdryer

As a neutral, I've just got to say that that was one of the worst comebacks ever. "Muppet" is not very insulting, and "go get laid with ur momma's hairdryer" is just odd. A bit disturbing too.

You dont get the point do you mate...thought so !!

A quality article, well thought out, cogent and succinct.

Makes me embarrassed to be male when you hear/read misogynistic claptrap from people like Keys/Gray.

But surprised by two of life's plonkers? No! Sorry!

silly post

silly response

Good post. I have to admit that I too was hoping that she had a good game, even though with male officials I don't usually consider them until they make a mistake. Fortunately all the officials had a good game, and Sian Massey got the one big decision correct. Hope she's not going to be the only top class female official.

I couldn't believe it, I was tired from the night before but yes, I seen correctly. A tart was holding the flag. Sort it out FA!!

Call me old fashioned but A woman's place is in the kitchen and not on a football pitch

Please tell me you're just trolling.

You are not old-fashioned; prehistoric may be more accurate description. (Assuming that you aren't being a prankster.)

ok. youre old fashioned, and if you are not joking, you are also a fucking idiot

dude, have a sense of humour eh??

"As I give my impressions on the role of a holding midfielder, they look at me as if I’m an endangered albino rhino because I am a female that is talking some sense about football tactics." - Oh gods, yes! This *so* much... I've given up on football discussion in real life because I cannot stand this.

Excellent post, Sairax!