Jason Cundy apologised over female commentators row

Wolverhampton's Jacqui Oatley was among those who rounded on the player-turned-pundit after he said he was not in favour of women commentating on matches as their voices were too 'high-pitched'.

His comments came after Vicki Sparks became the first woman to commentate on a live televised World Cup match last week. He was subsequently branded a 'sexist pig' by Piers Morgan during an appearance on Good Morning Britain.

Cundy, who has become a prominent radio presenter since ending his career, later bowed to the pressure and apologised following a fierce backlash.

He said on his talkSPORT radio show: "I want to sincerely apologise for the comments I made on Good Morning Britain this morning, I came away realising how foolish and out of order they were and how I deserved the backlash I received. There are times you have to hold your hands up and admit that you are wrong and I've been an idiot and today was one of those days.

"I regret the comments and the hurt and anger it has caused. I realise there is no place for these demeaning attributes towards female commentators and for that I am truly sorry."

The ex-Chelsea player sparked uproar when he said he didn't think women's voices should be heard over football.

He said on Good Morning Britain: "It's nothing to do with their insight, the way she delivers it or her knowledge or ability to do the job - it's the voice. For 90 minutes I would rather prefer to listen to a male voice. I consume a lot of football to listen to that voice - it's like would you prefer to listen to Ed Sheeran or Celine Dion."

He was accused of 'sounding ridiculous' by anchor Piers Morgan but Cundy continued: "As a point of personal preference what I prefer to listen to when I'm watching a football match is a male voice."

Jacqui Oatley, who is part of ITV's presenting team for the World Cup and has played a key role in helping to break down barriers for women in football, said she was 'frustrated' that the issue of female commentators was still being discussed more than a decade after she became the first woman to commentate on Match of the Day.

Wolves fan Oatley said on Twitter: “Frustrating that this ‘female commentator’ debate is still such an issue 11 years after my first Match of the Day game and eight years after I did seven live World Cup commentaries on 5 Live.

“Voice/style preference is always subjective – to say it shouldn’t be allowed’ says more about the critic.”