Souness Clarifies Stance on “Man’s Game” Comments

Ex-footballer and pundit, Graeme Souness, is seemingly unrepentant about calling soccer “a man’s game”.

During a broadcast of Chelsea’s match against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, 14 August – which saw coaches Thomas Tuchel and Antonio Conte squaring off against each other – Souness sounded off on his views.

“It’s a man’s game all of a sudden again,” he said. “I think we’ve got our football back, as I would enjoy football: men at it, blow for blow, and the referee letting them get on with it.”

The 69-year-old Scotsman’s remarks drew ire, particularly from Women’s Euro 2022 winner Bethany England, who tweeted: “Get in the bin. What a disgraceful thing to say after the summer this country has just seen.”

In response, Souness said during an interview on Monday, 15 August: “I’ve been advocating for years that the referees have such a major part to play in the success of the Premier League … My comments yesterday were saying we’ve got our game back. That is the kind of football I remember playing in.”

However, he has since released a statement in which he referred to football as “a game for everyone to enjoy” – a seemingly half-baked apology for some, but enough to quiet down the grumbling for now.

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