Graeme Souness has come under fire after claiming football is “a man’s game all of a sudden now” after a fiery derby played out between Chelsea and Tottenham.
speaking in the Sky Sports studio alongside ex-Lionesses star Karen Carney, Souness was reflecting on the intense draw, which ended with Thomas Tuchel and Antonio Conte being sent off.
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“Referees are letting a lot more go and it makes for a better watch,” Souness said.
“We’ve all played the game, with simulation and people throwing themselves into the ground. I haven’t seen that in the two games today. It’s a man’s game all of a sudden now.”
When asked about the managers’ fiery encounter, Souness said “boys will be boys”.
That comment along with his earlier reference to football as a “man’s game” saw Souness come under immediate scrutiny from Carney’s former England team-mate Eniola Aluko.
“Awkward turtles, Graeme Souness talking about ‘it’s a man’s game again’ sat next to an England centurion Karen Carney, two weeks after the Lionesses end a 56 year wait and win European Championships,” she tweeted. “Come on. It’s not okay.”
Meanwhile, women’s football player Bethany England was also incensed by the comments.
“It’s a man’s game. Men at it. Get in the (bin emoji) what a disgraceful thing to say after the summer this country has just been seen.”
Not everyone was outraged by Souness’ comments, with Piers Morgan taking to Twitter to defend him, sarcastically writing: “I’m outraged & disgusted that Graeme Souness used the words ‘man’s game’ when talking specifically about an incident in a man’s game played by two teams of men. Especially when we’ve all spent the past few weeks talking about the ‘women’s game.”
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