Serious Case
A second teenage footballer has been handed a six-match ban for asking whether adult transgender opponents she was playing were men.
An 18-year-old who, Telegraph Sport has been told, has both ADHD and learning difficulties, was sanctioned by a National Serious Case Panel in a case with parallels to that for which a 17-year-old girl with suspected autism was handed a similar suspension.
The second teen was charged by her county FA over comments she made to a referee during a match in September, the same month she turned 18. It was alleged she said: “Ref, have you checked if all of their players are eligible to play? Look at their ’keeper and for example their number 10 is obviously a man,” or something similar.
Stupidly, the reporter forgot to spell out that this is a girls’ or women’s team he’s talking about. The “teen’s” question implies it, but the reporter should have said it up front.
She was banned for six matches, two of which were suspended, after accepting the charge brought under national Football Association rules that allow those born male to play in women’s matches.
Finally the mention of women’s matches. It’s always stunning, no matter how many times you’ve seen it, to see “national Football Association rules that allow those born male to play in women’s matches.” If men are allowed to play then they’re not women’s matches, are they?!
The disciplinary proceedings were triggered by a complaint made by the opposition club, which included the claim that she had said to their non-trans players: “This is a man.” She has admitted trying to ask those players if their team-mates were biologically male after failing to get clarity from the ref, who, she wrote in her statement, had threatened to send her off if she continued to quiz him on the matter.
Speaking to Telegraph Sport on condition of anonymity, the teenager said of her ban: “It kind of made me hate football.”
Right there with you, kid. It’s a god damn insult.
Fiona McAnena, director of campaigns at Sex Matters, said: “It’s disgraceful that another teenage girl has been suspended for daring to challenge the presence of a male player in a women’s game. The FA has punished her for asking a question that matters for her own safety, and for fairness for all girls. Sending her for mandatory ‘re-education’ won’t solve this.
“How many other cases are there like this? How long can the FA continue to claim that there is no problem? How can the FA say it supports the women’s game when girls are being suspended for pointing out there is a man on the pitch?”
In fact how can the FA say it supports the women’s game when it lets men play on the women’s teams?
It can’t.
They are sanctioning the wrong party. Sanction the men, sanction the team that fields men players, sanction the referees who allow it, and sanction the FA for lying to and for cheating women and girls.
George Orwell must be rolling in his grave. Welcome to the world where round is flat, black is white, dogs are cats, and all categories have been declared illegal, null and void, and totally meaningless.
Well round can be flat. Behold: O
Careful, OB. Careful!.!!!
Some could twist that into an argument that men can be women. ;-)