A barrage of complaints was filed by Monday after former Cypriot footballer Costas Malekkos said women should accept that men are in charge, during a TV interview.

His statements during the ‘Sunday night’ show on Alphanews with television host Christiana Aristotelous sparked the wrath of women’s group Pogo as well as the gender equality commissioner who slammed the statements for sexism.

“You women have to accept that the man is in charge,” Malekkos said in one part of the interview.

During the same show, he previously said that in a marriage both parties should compromise. “Women have taken the wrong road. Men are men, end of. When your husband isn’t a man at home, you’ll divorce him.”

He also shared that “a man is allowed to do whatever he wants” and that “you women have have to accept that a man is in charge.”

Pogo reported the matter to the justice minister, police chief, law commissioner, ombudswoman, gender equality commissioner and the broadcast authority (the Cyprus radio television authority).

Similarly, in a separate statement, Gender Equality Commissioner Josie Christodoulou said such terminology promotes sexist and patriarchal attitudes.

At a time where media “actively fights against any form of sexism”, sharing such statements voiced by Malekkos – even with the claim that it was humorous – are best avoided, she said.