Sky pundit under fire after calling soccer a 'man's game' while sitting next to a female player in the booth

• Sky Sports pundit Graeme Souness described soccer as a "man's game" after a match on Sunday.
• He was sitting next to a former England women's international team player at the time.

Sky Sports pundit Graeme Souness has been labelled "disgraceful" after he described soccer as a "man's game" while sitting next to a former England women's national team player during a match on Sunday.

Souness made the remark after Chelsea and Tottenham's hotly contested draw at Stamford Bridge.

Talking about the match he said: "Referees are letting a lot more go, and it makes for a better watch. We've all played the game, with simulation and people throwing themselves to the ground. I've not seen that in the two games today. It's a man's game all of a sudden again."

Souness went on to describe a clash between the teams' two managers as "men at it" and said "boys will be boys."

At the time of his remarks, Souness was sitting beside Karen Carney, an English Football Hall of Fame inductee who made 144 appearances for the English women's national team between 2005 and 2019.

Though Karney did not comment on the Scotsman's remarks, another England international Bethany England, who helped the Lionesses win Euro 2022 last month, did.

She said on Twitter: "Get in the [trash] what a disgraceful thing to say after the summer this country has just seen."

Eniola Aluko, another former English national team player, also criticized Souness, writing on Twitter: "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.

"Come on. It's not okay."

Speaking on radio station TalkSPORT on Monday, Souness defended his comments, saying he doesn't "regret a word."

"Let me explain," he said. "I've been advocating for years that the referees have such a major part to play in the success of the Premier League.

"We've got to be careful what we say today, and I've not been very good at that, but we were becoming like other leagues.

"They were blowing the whistle all the time, and it wasn't a good watch. Our game has always been unique, more meaty, more in your face and more intense and we got away from that.

"My comments yesterday were saying we've got our game back. That is the kind of football I remember playing in."

He added: "I enjoyed two games of football yesterday, where men were playing men, and they got about themselves and were falling out with each other."

Sky Sports did not immediately reply to Insider's request for comment.