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.
Watch the world’s best footballers every week with beIN SPORTS on Kayo. LIVE coverage from Bundesliga, Ligue 1, Serie A, Carabao Cup, EFL & SPFL. New to Kayo? Start your free trial now >
Tuchel & Conte see red in feisty derby | 00:42
“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.”
As David Popovici has accelerated past his older rivals in the pool this summer, it seemed inevitable that the skinny 17-year-old would threaten world records, the only surprise when he broke the 100m freestyle mark in Rome on Saturday was that he got so quick so fast
On Friday, the Romanian had become only the fourth man in history to swim under 47sec as he set a European record to win his semi-final at the European Championships in Rome.
Stream Over 50 Sports Live & On-Demand with Kayo. New to Kayo? Start your free trial now >
That was more than half a second faster than his gold-medal time at the World Championships in June.
On Saturday, he was even quicker, swimming 46.86sec to slice 0.05sec off the record set by Brazilian Cesar Cielo in the 2009 World Championships, also in Rome, in the era of buoyant body suits.
“Yesterday I said that the European record was just one step in the right direction – and I was right. There was no rush and I had to be extremely patient about the world record, ”he said after his victory about him.
In the World Championships in Budapest, Popovici outpaced Caeleb Dressel, who had swum the fastest 100m in a textile suit, in the heats.
The Olympic champion withdrew from the competition before the semis.
Romania’s David Popovici set a new world record in the men’s 100m freestyle. (Photo by Alberto PIZZOLI / AFP)Source: AFP
“It’s nice being able to say that I am the fastest to ever do it and it’s a good thing to know I clashed with all of the titans of this race.”
His coach, Adrian Radulescu said that he was too surprised by the speed of Popovici’s progress.
“It’s amazing that it is happening so early,” said Radulescu, just 32.
Asked on Thursday what makes him successful, Popovici acknowledged that success comes at a price.
“When Erling Haaland, a football player, was asked the same question, he replied ‘hard work’ So, it’s just really a lot of hard work and a lot of sacrifice and it all comes down to the question of how badly do you want Item; and I really do want it, badly!”
“What are you willing to do that others aren’t? This includes living a completely different lifestyle.”
This summer, Popovici has dominated the World Championships and the European Junior Championships in his home town, Bucharest.
After Rome he plans to head to the world junior championships in Lima
“Really, all I want to get out of this meet and out of world juniors in Peru is simply having fun. The medals, the records, everything, the good times are simply a bonus. If we manage to have fun, that’s very satisfying,” he said.
Not everyone might share his idea of fun.
“Everything in sports is fun. Getting extremely tired and then wanting to vomit,” he said.
“Having all sorts of lactate problems… that’s fine. It’s not fun at the time but after half an hour you don’t want to kill yourself anymore and you feel as if its all worth it.”
Popovici was nine when he joined the swimming club where Radulescu coaches.
Popovici is just 17 years of age. (Photo by Alberto PIZZOLI / AFP)Source: AFP
“He wasn’t the easiest to train, he was mostly looking for fun, to skip his turn… But there was something special about him, he was very competitive.”
“He must have been ten years old, we were organizing a competition for swimmers of the same age,” recalled the coach.
“A 25-meter swim and the last one was eliminated… Each time, David finished second last. Ahead of him, they wanted to prove that they were good, they got tired. In the final race, the other survivor was so tired, David won.”
Popovici is unusually thin for a top swimmer.
“David has a keen sense of water,” said Radulescu.
“It’s not about how much force you can generate, but how you can put it into the speed you develop. So, yes, he is very thin, but he has enough strength to swim at higher speeds.”
But, added, the coach, Popovici’s physique will change.
“He’ll be 18 in September, his body will grow, evolve to a man’s size. It’s a challenge… to get the right balance between strength and efficiency.”
Popovici already has a nickname: ‘The Magician’.
“I was passionate about magic when I was younger, the card tricks and illusions and stuff but not anymore. It was a little hobby before swimming,” I explained.
“But yes, some people have called me The Magician because of what I do in the pool but again, I don’t think it represents me. I like to think of myself as a simple guy who just swims fast.”
