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Sparta Prague players to train with women’s team after telling female referee ‘women belong in the kitchen'

The club told Czech papers that: 'The players will spend several days with the club’s female side so they can see women have plenty of worth outside the kitchen'

Samuel Lovett
Tuesday 04 October 2016 16:48 EDT
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Tomas Koubek has played twice for the Czech Republic and was one of the players who made the sexist remarks
Tomas Koubek has played twice for the Czech Republic and was one of the players who made the sexist remarks (Getty)

Two Sparta Prague players have been made to train with the club’s women’s team after telling a female assistant referee that ‘women belong in the kitchen’.

Sparta told Czech papers that: “The players will spend several days with the club’s female side so they can see women have plenty of worth outside the kitchen.”

The club’s goalkeeper, Tomas Koubek, specifically said that “women belong at the stove” after the female assistant failed to flag an opponent offside during their match against Brno.

Koubek, speaking in the wake of his side’s 3-3 draw on Sunday, added: “Women should not officiate men’s football.”

Midfielder Lukas Vacha echoed his keeper’s sentiment, describing the official, Lucie Ratajova, as “the cooker”.

Koubek later posted a picture of his wife and daughter on Facebook and said he wanted to "apologise to all women".

Vacha said his "comment was directed to a specific error which affected the outcome of the game, not for any other women".

Nonetheless, Sparta Prague have decided to punish the pair who will be expected to train with the women’s side for the foreseeable future.

The president of the Czech Football Federation, Miroslav Pelta, called the players’ comments “unacceptable.”

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