Graeme Souness insisted he does not regret ‘a word’ of his ‘man’s game’ point during Sky Sports’ Super Sunday.
The former Liverpool midfielder was praising the more liberal approach to refereeing by Anthony Taylor during Chelsea’s 2-2 draw with Tottenham at Stamford Bridge - a game which saw managers Thomas Tuchel and Antonio Conte twice clash on the touchline amid 90 minutes full of needle between players.
Speaking on Sky Sports, Souness 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 into the ground. I haven’t seen that in the two games today. It’s a man’s game all of a sudden now.”
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But the 69-year-old faced criticism after the show for making his ‘man’s game’ point while sat next to former England Women’s international Karen Carney, and he has since explained the reason for his choice of words when asked if he regretted what he said.
“Not a word of it. Let me explain. I’ve been advocating for years that the referees have such a major part to play in the success of the Premier League,” Souness told TalkSPORT . “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.
“We’ve got to be better for it. 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 and were falling out with each other.
“Okay, I don’t think we should be condoning the thing on the touchline, but I’ve been there. If you are on the touchline and things aren’t going your way and you feel there’s been an injustice. You’ve worked all week for these 90 minutes.”
Souness followed up the remarks on radio with a statement via Sky Sports on social media.
"To clarify my comments from yesterday, I was referring to the two Premier League matches I watched live on Sunday afternoon, rather than the sport of football," he said. "Football is a game for everyone to enjoy."
One of Carney’s former England teammates, Eniola Aluko, was critical of Souness’ choice of words, tweeting: “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. Come on. It’s not okay.”
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