Piers Morgan has hit out at talkSPORT’s Shebahn Aherne after defending Megan Rapinoe’s view on trans athletes.
Before the Women’s World Cup got underway, Rapinoe was asked whether she would accept a trans footballer in the United States football team.
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The 38-year-old, who has now retired from international football, has been particularly vocal in her role within football.
But she has been met with criticism, particularly from TalkTV’s Morgan, who insisted that having biological males play against females is unfair.
talkSPORT presenter Aherne defended Rapinoe while blasting Morgan, who has since replied.
He tweeted in response to Aherne: “Staggering, and dismaying, to hear a women’s sport presenter defend Megan Rapinoe’s delusional insistence that trans women have no advantage against females in women’s sport.
“Here’s an idea @shebahn – stop whacking me for stating the truth, and ask the poor women having to compete against biological males.”
There has been plenty of conversation over the inclusion of trans athletes across multiple sports.
Rapinoe had said earlier in the summer: “It’s particularly frustrating when women’s sports is weaponized.
“Oh, now we care about fairness? Now we care about women’s sports?
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“That’s total bulls***. And show me all the trans people who are nefariously taking advantage of being trans in sports. It’s just not happening.”
Aherne spoke out in defence of the OL Reign star on TalkTV, saying: “The abuse that Megan Rapinoe gets from her own USA fans off the back of her activism and the support she has of the trans community and LGBTQ community, it is actually refreshing to sit here and go everybody should get behind female athletes.
“Football is a place for everyone. I was reading through Piers Morgan’s tweets and was thinking, ‘what is your obsession?’
“Why does Piers hate Megan Rapinoe so much? Why do so many people have an issue with that? I have no idea.”
The United States crashed out of the Women’s World Cup on Sunday with a dramatic defeat to Sweden on penalties in the last-16.
Rapinoe missed her penalty in what was her last action as an international player having already announced her retirement.
Lina Hurtig’s winning penalty was initially saved by Alyssa Naeher only for the ball to bobble over the line, crossing it by the slimmest of margins to confirm the Americans’ exit.