Dalglish dismisses Massey worries

Kenny Dalglish has dismissed the notion the gender of an official would have any bearing on his reaction to their decisions.

The Liverpool manager became an unwitting part of the sexism scandal which saw Sky Sports presenters Andy Gray and Richard Keys lose their jobs.

The pair, who claimed women do not understand the offside rule, also predicted Dalglish would “go potty” if assistant referee Sian Massey made a bad call in last weekend’s game against Wolves.

In his Mail on Sunday column today, Dalglish said: “Of course, I would have done, just as I would have done if a male linesman had made a mistake.

“It wouldn’t have been based on gender at all.

“I have never judged anyone on anything other than their ability to do the job, Colour creed and gender do not come into it.”

He added: “If Sian knows the laws, why shouldn’t she be involved in the game?

“When Sammy Lee brought the team-sheets in last weekend at Wolves, he didn’t even mention that one of the assistant referees was a woman.

“That’s a reflection of how unimportant it is.”