Is football a 'mans game'?

 Grahame Souness has got himself into trouble over his comment that "Football is a mans game" in response to a couple of blokes behaving like twats during the Chelsea vs Spurs game (ironicaly this sort of behaviour is referred to as handbags at dawn as generally footballers are notoriously useless at fighting, with a few exceptions). Like many people who were born and raised before the current era, Mr Souness has fallen foul of the current norms of what you can and can't say.

Graeme Souness just said 'It's a man's game' talking about football... whilst sat on a panel with a woman...

— SPORTbible (@sportbible) August 14, 2022

Not everyone was very happy

“It’s a man’s game”
“Men at it”

Get in the 🗑 what a disgraceful thing to say after the summer this country has just seen.

— Bethany England (@Bethany_Eng15) August 14, 2022

There are two ways of looking at this. It seems you either think "Grahame Souness is the latest victim of all this woke nonsense" or you think "Grahame Souness is a long time media pundit who really should know better". I have to admit I'm slightly conflicted about this one. Firstly, Souness is a pundit and claiming Football is a 'Mans Game' after the women brought home the first major football trophy to England after over 50 years is a prime example of stupidity, especially when sat next to a female footballer. Englands womens team won the European Championship trophy in front of the largest crowd to watch a match in the modern era in England. Football is demonstrably not a mans game. 

However, I've played football all my life and I still do. My position of preference is to play as a centre back and I am noted for my crunching tackles. My mates have long said "you can get the ball or the man around Rog but not both". Many a shrinking violet centre forward has ended up writhing in agony on the floor following a crunching tackle, seeking sympathy from the ref. My rebuke was usually to laugh and say "Hey ref, tell him it's a mans game". 

However there is a lot of difference between a bit of sledging on a football field of a stricken opponent, in the heat of a game, who is play acting to try and get you a card and bloke who is paid a small fortune to provide expert views to a large TV audience many of which will be insulted by his comment. Over the years, I've played a lot of football and also done a lot of TV and Radio work. I've probably never completed 90 minutes on a football field without using an expletive or two. But I've never, even casually, let an expletive slip on air. The thing about Mr Souness's comments is that they are not on the pitch or in the pub with his mates. If he was having a pint with his mates and someone overheard him, then I'd be on his side. If he's paid to do a job on telly, where ever more female players are taking an interest it is completely unacceptable, especially when sitting next to one of them. 

Football is not a mans game. Boys and girls play it. Men, women and those who wish not to declare play it. Hoping that a pundit being paid a decent amoung for their opinions show some respect to their audience is not 'woke'. It is simply doing your job properly and showing respect to your audience. Is that too much to ask?