Clare Balding says she refuses to cover men’s football because it is “toxic” for female hosts.
The BBC veteran says women broadcasters suffer “vile abuse” when they offer opinions on male matches, which she blames for “the worst of tribal behaviour”.
She said: “Any woman who pops up on a football programme offering expertise, or in the role of presenter, will be opening the door to such vile abuse on social media.”
There has been a push in recent years to get more women football presenters.
Former Arsenal footballer and Strictly star Alex Scott, 36, fronts high profile games including the World Cup alongside male counterparts.
Clare, 49, told the Creative Forum that when she started “it was, ‘We have one woman, we can’t have two’.
"You’re fighting another woman for that one chance”.
