WHEN someone starts a sentence with “I know it sounds sexist, but I am sexist” you can usually bet that there’s going to be fireworks. And fireworks there was, when Mike Newell ranted about female officials today in 2006.

During Luton’s Championship clash with QPR assistant referee Amy Rayner had the gall to not give Newell’s side a penalty when QPR defender Marcus Bignot tangled with Carlos Edwards and the scouser wasn’t happy. We’ll let him speak for himself:
“She shouldn’t be here… It is tokenism for the politically-correct idiots. We have a problem in this country with political correctness and bringing women into the game is not the way to improve refereeing and officialdom. It is absolutely beyond belief. When do we reach a stage when all officials are women because then we are in trouble?” Don’t hold back Mike. Oh, hang on, he’s not finished: “It is bad enough with the incapable referees and linesmen we have but if you start bringing in women, you have big problems.”
Needless to say, his comments got him into a spot of bother. A £6,500 fine followed, as did a spate of angry feminists writing columns in national newspapers, but Newell wasn’t rushing to apologise. He took the opportunity to explain further in his programme notes for Luton’s game against Derby:



“For those people who do not know me personally, and have labelled me prehistoric, a caveman and a bigot, can I ask you this? Is it sexist to have traditional values? Values such as holding a door open for a woman, helping a mother with a pushchair off a train or up an escalator, worrying what time my daughter will be home and whether she is escorted, buying flowers and paying for dinner. If all of these are sexist and prehistoric, then I am guilty of them all.”

So there you go ladies, the man’s a gent. What were you all worrying about? Newell’s sexism outburst was one of series of rants he was getting embroiled in at the time, as it seemed like he was actively seeking the sack. He also had a pop at the influence of foreign players in the English game, said bungs were rife and publicly asked the board where transfer money had been going. He ended up with egg on his face when it emerged that 10% of all transfer fees Luton received were going directly to his pocket and he soon found himself without a job, leaving him with plenty of time to open doors for women.

See how Luton’s local newshounds reacted to one of Newell’s rants below and watch out for more scouse manager stories coming this way tomorrow.

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