'It was a rubbish joke, but White is not sexist'

DORKING Wanderers manager Marc White has been given a six-game touchline ban by the FA for a remark he made about the increase in female officials. Speaking, to the Under the Cosh podcast before Wanderers' 3-1 defeat against Weston-super-Mare in January he had said: "More women refs now, so you have to pay a bit more respect, do you know what I mean? You have to pay a bit more respect, like help them park.

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The FA charged White with using insulting or abusive words in the interview, describing it as an "aggravated breach" of the rules due to the reference it contained to gender. White insists he was "having fun with a joke that acknowledged an old cliché" and believes that six matches is excessive. Speaking after the FA verdict he said: "I truly believe that no one would have been offended by what I said but I'll apologise to anyone it did offend." He added: "I do respect the FA process and I acknowledge this is the minimum sanction for the charge." Sport editor Kaylee Seckington argues that while it may have been a bad joke from White, it doesn't make him sexist

IS MARC WHITE overly bossy? Yes. Deliberately controversial? Probably. But sexist? No.

I've been a sports journalist for nearly 16 years and have had the dubious pleasure of regular interviews with the Dorking Wanderers manager/chairman/co-founder during that time.