Former Match of the Day presenter Des Lynam believes female football pundits should not provide analysis of men’s football matches, claiming they have not played the sport at the level they are analysing about.
Broadcasters have adopted a more inclusive approach to their football punditry line-ups in recent years. The BBC and ITV both employed women as part of their coverage for the European Championship this summer.
Sky Sports have had former women’s players cover Premier League matches for several years.
But while Lynam insists he has no issue with female presenters, he insists pundits need to have played to the level they are providing opinions on. The 81-year-old suggested that the quality of the women’s game was not on par with the men’s equivalent.
Speaking to Radio 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 about – ie, the men’s game, in my view.”
Lynam presented Match of the Day between 1988 and 1999. His spell on the show saw him nurture a young Gary Lineker, who was a regular pundit on the Premier League’s highlights programme before replacing Lynam as the presenter.
ITV’s very brief right to show the Premier League highlights saw Lynam switch from the BBC. But the broadcasting veteran now believes losing Match of the Day again would ‘finish’ the BBC, which won back the rights from ITV in 2003 after a four-year hiatus.
“They [the BBC] were overworking me at the time, I was doing everything, which was very complimentary but also wearing. ITV came in and offered much less work and extraordinary money, which I couldn’t refuse,” Lynam continued.
“With hindsight I should have thought about it a bit longer. I missed doing Match of the Day. It belongs there at the BBC. If they ever get rid of it, or can’t afford it, they’re finished.”
Lineker is celebrating a 25th anniversary as the Match of the Day presenter. The 63-year-old is by far the longest serving host of the programme, which has announced Joe Hart and Theo Walcott as new pundits for the upcoming Premier League season.
However, there is uncertainty over Lineker’s future at the corporation. His £1.35million per-year contract ends next summer, and there has been little hint at a renewal.
