Featured Image Credit: Getty
Topics: Australia, Womens Football, Womens World Cup
Josh Lawless
A radio presenter has been taken off the air following "sick" and "disgusting" comments about women's football.
Marty Sheargold, a radio host and stand-up comedian in Australia, was relieved of his duties after the controversial remarks on his Triple M drivetime show.
On Monday, when a sports news bulletin was being read out on the show and reported on Australia suffering a second loss in a row in the SheBelieves Cup, Sheargold interrupted and said he would "rather hammer a nail through the head of his penis" than watch the team compete in the Asian Cup next year.
"You know what they remind me of? Year 10 girls," Sheargold then added.
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"All the infighting and all the friendship issues... Now I'm sorry to undermine the whole sport, but that's what I think of it."
When the name of the tournament was mentioned by a co-host, he said: "Oh, she believes in what? It better be men."
At one point, he also asked a co-host: "Got any men's sport?".
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He also touched on the 2023 World Cup Australia co-hosted with New Zealand, commenting: "There's something wrong with the Matildas. They had that wonderful tournament out here where we all fell in love with them, even though they didn't make the quarters."
Sheargold's comments drew widespread criticism, with Matildas players Alex Chidiac and Clare Wheelers branding the words "sick" and Aussie hockey star Rosie Malone calling them "disgusting" and "horrendous"
Sheargold issued a statement on Wednesday where he said he would like to "sincerely apologise to the Matildas and the broader organisation" - but he was taken off his usual slot after Southern Cross Austereo (SCA), the company which houses Triple M, confirmed Sheargold and the station had parted ways by mutual consent.
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SCA said it "takes its responsibility to listeners, shareholders, and clients seriously and its programming should align with the standards and expectations of its audience".
Meanwhile, Football Australia said it was "deeply disappointed by the unacceptable comments" and deemed to it be a "stark reminder of the responsibility media outlets and personalities have in fostering respectful and constructive discussions about women's sport and its participants".
The governing body also said the remarks "diminish the extraordinary achievements and contributions" of the women's football team which reached the quarter-finals of the last World Cup.