Town boss Paul Jewell has hit out at claims that his post-match comments at Birmingham last night were sexist. The Blues manager was unhappy with assistant referee Amy Fearn, believing she should have awarded his side a second half penalty but says his criticism was taken out of context by some media sources.

In a statement to the club website, Jewell said: "I absolutely refute suggestions that my comments were made in a sexist way.

"The opening line from a journalist at the start of the press conference was 'I think everyone to a man thought that was a penalty' and I responded by saying 'but not to a woman', meaning the official that was on that side and didn't give the decision.

"I didn't suggest in any way that the official made a mistake because she was a woman. I don't think what I said was sexist and will argue all day long with anyone that says it is."

Jewell explained his subsequent comment 'I thought the lineswoman, or whatever she is called' by adding: "I have said that a hundred times before about linesmen. It's just a reference to the officials who run the line now being known as assistant referees.

"I have listened to the tape recording of the press conference and I've no problems with what I said. The comments have been taken out of context, which is disappointing but that seems to be the world we live in now.

Listen to the comments here

"I'm not expecting any comeback from the authorities and would be disappointed if there are but if that arrives, I will defend it vehemently and will have the full support of the club in doing that."

However, Alan Leighton, national secretary of Prospect, the referees' trades union, disagrees with Jewell's view: “These comments are clearly sexist and there’s no place for them in football.

“They show that women are not fully accepted within the game at the present time. It puts unbearable pressure on female assistants and referees who are aware that every time they step on to the pitch they are under special scrutiny.

“That isn’t going to be something that’s going to attract women to the game and that’s why people do need to take a view that they’re not going to make foolish, sexist comments.”

Photo: Action Images

Stu_Magoo added 15:11 - Jan 12 Our rotund, Scouse chum has done nothing wrong having listened to that. Pretty much everything else however.......
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imalwayswrong added 15:16 - Jan 12 Still not winning games! If it was or was not a pen..... Facts are we do not score enough games and let in too many. What next? The others team didn't score hat trick of own goals
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DerbyBlue76 added 15:26 - Jan 12 But why raise up the gender of the "assistant referee" in the first place. If it was a man PJ would not have raised the gender.
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Bluetone added 15:27 - Jan 12 Someone should tell Alan Leighton if Amy Fearn can't stand the heat she should stay out of the kitchen or in her case in the kitchen..
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adamisablue added 15:30 - Jan 12 Strikes added 13:27 - Jan 12 Oh dear, I fear this may be all the excuse that Mr Evans needs to renounce his public backing of Jewell and do the deed. And all because an assistant referee didn't have the balls to give a clear penalty. well if we are being pickie here, technicly, no, SHE didnt have the balls....(is that sexist? will i lose my job as a jim davidson tribute act?)

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Behind_Enemy_Lines added 15:49 - Jan 12 The lineswoman was offside soon as she stepped out of the kitchen!!!!
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TractorBeezer added 15:52 - Jan 12 What a load of bollocks....well not exactly. Alan Leighton and the media should get a life. Thanks for presenting the facts Phil. Now let's go and beat Blackpool!
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portmanteau added 16:23 - Jan 12 Yet again someone makes controversial remarks and instead of quickly admitting their error, defends the indefensible and expects everyone else to see it his way. My perception of Mr Jewell is that he does not rate women officials. He can think that but not say it in today's climate. Its time to tell the lady concerned that you withdraw your remarks and the insinuations contained therein. When you are in a hole don't keep digging… Unfortunately for you that would still not be the end of the matter. The FA will penalise you or be accused of double standards re Suarez Terry et al and I cannot see Town management backing you either following Liverpool FC's misguided support for their player. The bottom line is that you cannot get away with disparaging women and you would have thought Mr Jewell would have learnt this from the last time this lady endured similar comments.

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Daleyitfc added 16:28 - Jan 12 The real issue here, as raised by a WOMAN on Radio Suffolk today, is that there should not be any WOMEN officials in a MEN's professional sport, and vice versa. Then there would be no opportunity for remarks like this to be mis-interpreted. Jewell is clearly a very dim human being, just like his 2 predecessors, but this was not a sexist remark, and the pillock in the referees' association should get his head out of his bottom.

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TractorBoy666 added 16:32 - Jan 12 Its getting so stupid now. Whatever you say about women nowadays its classed as 'sexist'.
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dalinghooblue added 16:34 - Jan 12 Earlier in the season he referred to a male lino as 'the linesman, or whatever they call them these days' so that part of the comment means nothing. If they are to be known as assistant referees, they should assist the referee. In this case, this did not happen, hence his annoyance, and when a reporter referred to every man knowing it was a penalty (a loaded question) he misguidedly referred to her gender. I think this has been blown up out of all proportion.

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tractorboy1961 added 16:34 - Jan 12 The world has gone mad!,,
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Strikes added 16:43 - Jan 12 Someone in my office made a comment today about all men being "emotionally retarded" and followed it up with "that's men for you". Who can I complain to? No story here, the press can shove their faux-moral panic up their hypocritical fat backsides - move on everyone and let PJ concentrate on getting us out of the alarming slide towards oblivion we appear to be enduring.

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toforoge added 16:52 - Jan 12 Free speech is and has not been allowed in this country for a long time. As an earlier post says you can think it but not say it. I personaly think this is pc (not paul jewell this time!) gone mad ,if you dont let people speak there minds how will you know who the idiots are. On the other hand if you change the words woman for black it is intresting to judge if it is racist?

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jas0999 added 17:43 - Jan 12 Let's be clear - it was a daft comment. Silly.No more. But, why not simply say sorry? This appears to be yet another carefully worded press release from the PR Spin machine! They seem incapable of admiting any wrong doing - whether it's this or trying to con people into beleiving we are making progress under PJ - when clearly anyone can see that we have not. Surely a 'I'm sorry - my comments were not meant that way - nor did I mean any offence' would have been more appropriate. However, I don't know about anyone else - but I for one am getting fed up of managers and players blaming the officials, bad decisions or anything other than themselves. We have players surrounding the referee on the pitch - managers blaming referees or the opposition. It needs to stop. I am not just blaming PJ for this - but all managers. In PJ's case - one poor decision, does not explain 11 defeats in 14: poor performances, poor tactics, poor signings and inept management is to blame. Not just one decision. Look at Rugby, the refs decision is final and is rarely argued. I find it remarkable that PJ is still at the club - not for sexist remarks - but sheer abysmal management! PJ OUT.

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itfchorry added 18:09 - Jan 12 I think that another defeat on Saturday will hear calls for him to go. Shame as he seems like a decent enough guy who is regrettably past his sell by date. It would be the icing on the cake if Clegg was first out
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ITFCOYB added 18:17 - Jan 12 Oh Jas. Where to start on that? It wasn't sexist. It just wasn't. So it wasn't a daft comment. wasn't even that badly phrased. It only becomes an issue when you take the interviewer's question away from the soundbite. PR Spin machine? Not a bit of it. They came out with a full statement this morning refuting the claim that he was sexist and promising to back him up. Where is the spin? No talk of being misinterpreted, no 'sorry if there was any offence caused' nonsense, just a simple statement saying that in context it was not a sexist remark and that was that. ZERO SPIN. As for managers and players blaming referees etc, i almost agree but then i quickly don't again. Not just as it's you. It's the FA/FIFA/UEFA that need to get a grip on this, and not by issuing bans and fines, but by improving the decision making. Not by retraining officials, but by actually using the technology that is available in every dugout to make decisions- video replays. It works in Tennis, Cricket, Rugby (as you note), Athletics and many of the big American sports. It can work in football and we should be well down the line in testing systems by now. If the replay is inconclusive the decision on the field stands. Simple. Limited number of challenges per game like Cricket/Tennis- not punished for successful overrule. We'll lose a tiny amount of flow and there'll be goals that are challenged and muted celebrations every so often, but really the game will be all the better for it and the cheats/aggressive actions around refs will be reduced.

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jamesmostevens added 18:28 - Jan 12 I still don't like the comment or fully believe the explanation that he wasn't being sexist. However, his threat to "argue all day long with anyone that says it is" scares me more...especially if he were to somehow bring it around to "signing Messi if I could" in some way.
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Ipswichbusiness added 18:30 - Jan 12 The reporter asked, "Everyone to a man ..." when it knew that a woman had made the decision. He was looking for a reaction and he got it. The criticism of Mr Jewell is not the comments that he made, but that he leapt into a rather obvious trap. Surely his media training and experience should be better than that? It doesn't change the fact that he is losing far too many football matches. We are in very big difficulty here and I can't see the way out with him in charge.

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paulnstar added 19:10 - Jan 12 dont get sidetracked in your quest for league one football jewell
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ericgatesrules added 19:47 - Jan 12 There is sweet FA in this story. PJ has done nothing wrong, just gave an answer to a question, despite what the head of refs has said. Go on mate, justify your position and salary. What a cheap jobsworth. This is NOT a Keys and Gray moment. The fans are with you on this one now repay us with some proper defending and securing the points to get us out of the football mess we are in. Up the Town

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TimmyH added 20:15 - Jan 12 That's the least of his problems at the moment, hopefully he's 1 game away from being given the sack (but I doubt it). Saying that I will support him on this one, the world has now truly gone politically correctness mad!
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parhamblue added 20:53 - Jan 12 It was certainly a daft comment because the media reports the written word as well as the spoken word. It looks far worse written down, and PJ deals with the media every day. BBC Look East said '...over sexist comments...' no 'allegedly', not even an 'apparently' and we can call that out of order, but nobody on here is expressing surprise at how the media have interpreted it.

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BuckieBlue added 21:03 - Jan 12 Good that despite most fans disquiet at PJ's ability as ITFC manager the majority of us on here are at least objective enough to back him over this. Proud of you All he did was refer to her as a woman = a description/a fact.
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suffolkpunchdrunk added 21:09 - Jan 12 Such a shame PJ's quick wit is not matched with similarly speedy activity when it comes to signing a defender or two. The players' confidence must by now be shot to bits with no sign that the current management team has the ability to instill a belief within them to hold on for a win or a draw. The only 'Prospect' I am concerned of is relegation. This club of ours is suffering a slow and painful demise, please make it stop, please leave now.

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