German footballer Kerem Demirbay, Receives Punishment for Sexist Remarks Toward Woman Official

Kerem Demirbay, player for Fortuna Dusseldorf in Germany's second division of football, recently made sexist comments toward a referee after he was issued a second yellow card--which resulted in him ejected from the game. He told the referee, who is the only woman referee in the league, that "women have no place in men's football." As punishment, he was forced to referee a girls' youth match.

While serving his suspension refereeing a match between SSVg Haan and BW Langenberg, Demirbay was spotted wearing some fancy duds (no doubt designer), complemented with a brightly colored plastic whistle--that instead of the usual referee attire. It is noteworthy, however, to point on that he would go on to pose for some pictures.

The 22-year-old Turkish midfielder, who is currently on loan to Fortuna Dusseldorf from first division side Hamburg, was sent off by female referee, Bibiana Steinhaus, during a 2-1 win at FSV Frankfurt. In addition to being required to referee a girls' youth match, he was also banned from play for 5 games by the German Football Association, and received a 10,000-pound fine from his club.

Aside from being the only female referee in the second division of German football, Steinhaus has an impressive pedigree that includes something of an American connection. Back in 2011, she refereed the World Cup final that saw Japan beat the United States in penalty kicks, that according to The New York Post.

Demirbay did later take to twitter to post a public apology.

Sexist remarks are never condonable, but they are ever present in today's society. It's great to see an alpha-like environment such as men's professional football (soccer) holding it's star players accountable for their missteps. After the sactions Demirbay received, he is sure to think twice next time he looks to spew a few choice words. Otherwise, he might want to invest in a better whistle.