Ex-BBC presenter Des Lynam slammed for claiming female pundits 'can't offer an opinion on men's football'

Former BBC presenter Des Lynam has been slammed for claiming that female pundits should not offer opinions on men's football.

Lynam, 81, started presenting Match of the Day in 1988 and was replaced by Gary Lineker in 1999.

Television coverage of football has moved on a lot at all broadcasters in the last decade, with a much more diverse range of presenters and pundits appearing on our screens.

However, just months after Joey Barton launched his misogynistic attacks on women working in men's football, Lynam has claimed that women aren't qualified to offer their opinions on the men's game.

Speaking to The Times, Lynam said: "I've got no gripe with female presenters, but when you're a pundit and you're offering opinions about the game, you have to have played it at the level you are talking - i.e., the men's game."

This isn't the first time Lynam has been critical of female pundits. During the 2012 Olympic Games in London, he described the sound of the female voice as "grating."

"I have come to the conclusion that while female presenters have done a fine job, the female voice is not so attractive for actual commentating and in some cases became grating," Lynam wrote about the BBC's coverage of the Games.

Lynam has received serious backlash on social media for his comments, with some X users describing his as a "dinosaur" and "stuck in the dark ages."

One user commented: "Just seen Des Lynam's thoughts on female commentators. Fully reinforces why its time for the old guard to be replaced."

Another said: "Sorry Jose Mourinho, Des Lynam says you can’t be a pundit once you’ve finished managing because you never played above district level in Portuguese football."

One fan used journalists as an example of why pundits don't need to have played football at all.

"Journalists often have a far better view on the game than ex footballers using their 'experience' to justify their opinion," they wrote.

SPORTbible has contacted Women in Sport for comment.