Bethany England has criticised Graeme Souness for his "man's game" comments, telling the Liverpool legend to 'get in the bin'.
Souness was criticised on Sunday for calling football a "man's game" after Chelsea's 2-2 draw against Premier League rivals Tottenham at Stamford Bridge. The ex-midfielder was sitting alongside former England international Karen Carney in the Sky Sports studio.
Souness' comments came just two weeks after the Lionesses' won the Women's Euros final in front of more than 87,000 spectators at Wembley. The triumph was hailed as a watershed moment for women's football in the UK, with the new WSL season starting next month and unprecedented ticket sales being experienced.
Sunday's game between Chelsea and Spurs was intense, with managers Thomas Tuchel and Antonio Conte clashing on the touchline and receiving red cards. Several strong challenges were made, including two in the build-up to both of Tottenham's goals.
Referees in the Premier League have been advised to let more 50/50 tackles go unpunished to help speed up the play and let the game flow. Chiefs want the Premier League to be recognised as the quickest division in the world, with critics questioning whether this is fair.
But Souness, who was known for being a hard tackler in his playing days, supports the move. "Referees are letting a lot more go and it allows for a better watch. It’s a mans game all of a sudden now," said the former Scotland international. "I thoroughly enjoyed both games today [Nottingham Forest beat West Ham 1-0 in the other fixture]."
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Chelsea striker England, who was part of the Lionesses' squad for the Euros, was appalled by Souness' comments. "Get in the [bin emoji] what a disgraceful thing to say after the summer this country has just seen," she wrote on Twitter.
Former England international Eni Aluko added: "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 the European Championships. Come on. It's not okay... Football is football. Played by women, men, boys and girls. Very simple."
Despite this criticism, Souness has doubled down on his comments by insisting he doesn't regret "a word of it" during an appearance on talkSPORT on Monday morning.
Souness added: "I've been saying for years, the referees have such a major part to play in the success of the Premier League because... we were fast becoming like other leagues where the ref was blowing the whistle all the time, the game didn't flow, and it just wasn't a very good watch.
"Our game has always been unique. It's always been more meaty, more in your face, more intense, and we've got away from that. And I think yesterday... I said 'we've got our game back'. You know that is the kind of football I remember playing and our league will be better for it. We are back and the directive to the referees is long overdue.
"We've got our game back. I enjoyed two games of football yesterday where men were playing men, and they got about themselves at times. They were falling out with each other."
