Liverpool legend Graeme Souness has come under fire for describing football as "a man's game", as part of his commentary on this week's fiery Chelsea-Tottenham English Premier League encounter.
Sitting next to former England women's international Karen Carney, Souness was part of a Sky Sport panel analysing the drawn match that ended with an angry confrontation between managers Thomas Tuchel and Antonio Conte, who were both shown red cards.
"It's a man's game all of a sudden again," observed Souness. "I think we've got our football back, as I would enjoy football - man at it, blow for blow, and the referee telling them to get on with it."
Host Dave Jones immediately corrected Souness: "It's also a woman's game, as well."
Last month, the England women did something their male counterparts have been unable to achieve for more than half a century, finally "bringing football home" with victory over Germany in the European women's championship final.
Carney, who played 144 games for England, was visibly uncomfortable with Souness' remarks and found overwhelming support on social media.
"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," posted former international Eniola Aluko. "It's not OK."
Tweeted Euro 2022 winner Beth England: "What a disgraceful thing to say, after the summer this country has just seen."
Interviewed by Talksport afterwards, Souness doubled down on the comments.
"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," he said. "The refs were 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, always been more meaty, more in your face, more intense and we've got away from that.
"Yesterday, in my comments, I said we've got our game back. That's the kind of football I remember playing and our league will be better for it - we're back."
But he dialled his sentiments back a tad later, insisting the comments related only to the games he had just watched, not the sport itself.
"Football is a game for everyone to enjoy," he declared in a statement release through Sky Sport.
