Sport starts showing red card to attitudes that cross the line

In 2009, the England team reached the final of the European Championships, something their male counterparts have failed to achieve, and while star players like Faye White and Kelly Smith might only earn a fraction of the salary forked out to the likes of John Terry and Wayne Rooney, there is growing interest in women's football in this country.

But at the same time, there's a suspicion that football is still seen by many as a man's game. It's a view that reared its ugly head at the weekend when Sky Sports football presenters Andy Gray and Richard Keys were recorded making sexist remarks about female match officials and a leading football executive.

The pair commented on Sian Massey's appointment for the Premier League game between Wolves and Liverpool on Saturday, when they believed their microphones were switched off. After agreeing that female officials "don't know the offside rule," Keys added: "I can guarantee you there'll be a big one today. Kenny (Liverpool manager Dalglish) will go potty."

He then remarked on comments made by West Ham vice-chairman Karren Brady in her newspaper column about the level of sexism in football by saying: "See charming Karren Brady this morning complaining about sexism? Yeah. Do me a favour, love."

As it happens, Dalglish and his team had a lot to thank Massey for as she crucially, and correctly as the slow-motion replays showed, kept her flag down in the build-up to Liverpool's first goal. The Football Association (FA) gave their support to Massey, pointing out that the number of female referees in England is increasing and that they are "fantastic" ambassadors for the game.

Sky Sports quickly released a statement saying the comments from the presenters, who were disciplined and dropped from coverage of last night's Premier League match between Bolton and Chelsea, were "inexcusable". Keys and Gray have apologised for their remarks but this hasn't prevented accusations of sexism against the high-profile broadcasters.

The comments were branded "medieval" by Piara Powar, executive director of Fare, a European campaign group opposed to discrimination in football. "As the highly recognisable faces and voices of the Premier League on Sky Sports, Richard Keys and Andy Gray are mainstays of the sports broadcasting establishment.

"Their comments about the abilities of assistant referee Sian Massey and West Ham vice-chairwoman Karren Brady reveal the appalling and damaging sexist attitudes that exist across football. It is unacceptable that two of British football's biggest names are heard espousing views, whether intended for broadcast or not, that undermine and disparage the efforts of women in the game."

This isn't the first time female officials have been criticised by high-profile football figures. In 2006, the then Luton Town manager Mike Newell made critical remarks about lineswoman Amy Rayner following his team's game against QPR, when he said: "This is Championship football. This is not park football, so what are women doing here?" Newell apologised saying his outburst was "ill-timed and out of order", but was later fined 6,500 by the FA.

But are comments like those voiced by Keys and Gray just a bit of banter, albeit poorly judged, between two colleagues, or a reflection of wider sexist attitudes? Annette Stride, a sports business management lecturer at Leeds Metropolitan University, believes they aren't unique. "At all levels of sport, and across many different sports, there are numerous examples of where sexism is alive and kicking. More often than not female athletes are judged on appearance as opposed to performance, their private lives instead of achievements."

She is concerned, too, at the impact the commentators' remarks may have on audiences. "It is important that people that hold these positions are called to account over these outdated views. Indeed, these are out of step with current initiatives and high-profile campaigns that seek to get more women and girls involved in all aspects of sport, including officiating.

"Such unacceptable opinions pose yet another barrier to women wanting to be involved in a game that has seen unprecedented levels of interest in recent years."

Perhaps the time has come for this particular barrier to be dismantled once and for all.