Mark Clattenburg was a Premier League referee for 13 years.
Mark Clattenburg, a former Premier League referee, has been criticized for suggesting that female referees in soccer may need to make a choice between having children or their career.
The 46-year old was speaking in Talksport's discussion on female officials.
Sara Cox was the first woman to referee a Premiership rugby match. Clattenburg was also asked if she thought the Premier League might soon be possible.
He said, "It's an important point."
"We had Sian Massey[Ellis] as an assistant referee in Premier League. We now have Rebecca Welch as a referee in Football League. So women are developing in the men's game.
Uefa is becoming more diverse. For example, Uefa's Super Cup final referee was a French woman.
The problem with women, especially in football refereeing, is that they can have a hard time if they become pregnant. It can be a serious setback for their career. They must decide if they want to become pregnant or if they want to continue their career as referees.
Sara Cox (left), in rugby, and Stephanie Frappart(right) in football were both officiating at the highest levels of the men's sport.
Clattenburg officiated the 2016 Champions League finals and European Championship finals. She stated that some women have difficulty passing the men's fitness tests to become referees. "Certainly, after having a baby, you are out nine to ten months. Then you'll need to take six months to recover from the body. So it's almost two years."
"To pass the men's fitness exam is extremely difficult."
England rugby international Joe Marler was part of the Talksport discussion and said in a tweet external-link Clattenburg’s comments were "disrespectful" and "archaic". Women in Football chief executive Jane Purdon stated in a statement that his judgment was "way off".
Women in all professions have to balance work and family. This is a challenge for many men, but it is not a problem for men. Men are not expected to choose between them," Purdon said.
"In reality, many women involved in elite sport can resume their sports careers within a short time after having children. Some take longer, either by choice or necessity. None of these situations is a problem. The problem lies in assumptions about gender roles and biology of females in childcare. These assumptions are outdated, lazy, or simply false.
