EXCLUSIVE: RAMON VEGA: Football needs to tackle sexism head-on after Carneiro row

The recent case involving Chelsea team doctor Eva Carneiro has again brought the issue of sexism in football sharply into focus.

I certainly think the FA need to reassess how they handle a situation like this in future and I believe in general even more needs to be done to create an inclusive atmosphere within the game that welcomes women.

We are well into the 21st century but unfortunately some old-fashioned attitudes stubbornly remain.

When I was starting out in the game, the crowd at stadiums was homogenous – the grounds were dominated by men and it was pretty rare to see too many women and families.

That, of course, has all changed for the better. It may surprise some given the testosterone-filled reputation of the football dressing-room, but within the changing-rooms of teams that I played with, sexism was not something that I really encountered. Players appreciated the balance that having female colleagues brought. Everyone was working in the interests of the team and people were respected for their abilities and professionalism.

This was not always the case at boardroom level and there are still far too few female executives in the game.

In this respect, football is clearly lagging behind the business world. Like football, finance has a reputation for inhabiting a macho environment. I have occasionally witnessed evidence of this- usually this can be attributed to an insecurity that some men feel when dealing with ambitious and talented women. However, there are still a lot more female CEO’s in the upper echelons of business and football needs to catch up, fast.

The women’s game is constantly expanding, epitomised by the surge in interest during this summer’s World Cup in Canada. If I had a daughter who showed an interest in the sport I would certainly encourage her to follow her passion, whether it was on the pitch, through coaching or as a supporter.

I just hope female followers of football have not been put off by the unsavoury episode experienced by Carneiro and the disgraceful abuse that has been directed at her at some stadiums.

The day when a women coach takes charge of a professional men’s team in England can’t be far off and if a woman has the ability and potential, gender should not come into it. I personally think that the players would not be the ones to provide dissenting voices.

It would be madness to exclude half the world’s population from pursuing professional opportunities. Football belongs to everyone- the vestiges of the old boy mentality need to be dismantled and eradicated. It is time to show misogyny the red card.

Ramon Vega is a versatile high-flying executive with a comprehensive track record of driving commercial success in finance, property and football with national, international and World Cup experience as captain of the Swiss National Team in 1994. Proven experience in managing $billion funds in the asset management industry as well as a turnaround specialist who combines financial and business acumen, Ramon has a flair for inspiring others to exceed their own expectations. Follow him on Twitter here @Ramon_Vega71  (http://frompitchtoboardroom.com)

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