Australian radio host and comedian Marty Sheargold has lost his job after making crude and dismissive remarks about the country’s women’s soccer team. The Triple M Network has severed ties with Sheargold following backlash against his comments, which Football Australia condemned as “unacceptable.” So, what did he say?
According to The Athletic and The Guardian, Sheargold compared the women’s national team to “Year 10 girls,” mocked the name of the SheBelieves Cup, and repeatedly questioned whether there were any men’s sports to discuss instead. On his Drive show, he stated he’d “rather hammer a nail through the head of [his] penis” than watch Australia’s women’s team compete in next year’s Asian Cup, further commenting on their internal issues by saying, “All the infighting and all the friendship issues: ‘The coach hates me, and I hate bloody training and Michelle’s being a b*tch,’” as reported by CNN.
According to The Athletic’s Ben Burrows, Triple M’s parent company, Southern Cross Austereo (SCA), confirmed on Wednesday that the network had “mutually” agreed to part ways with the 53-year-old comedian. Following this, Football Australia, which had already denounced Sheargold’s remarks, released a scathing statement expressing its “deep disappointment,” adding that his comments “not only diminish the extraordinary achievements and contributions of our women’s national football team but also fail to recognize the profound impact they have had on Australian sport and society.”
Football Australia is deeply disappointed by the unacceptable comments made by Marty Sheargold on Triple M regarding the CommBank Matildas.
— CommBank Matildas (@TheMatildas) February 26, 2025
Although Triple M and Sheargold issued apologies, they were insufficient to save his job. According to The Athletic, SCA’s chief content officer, Dave Cameron, stated that the situation presents the company an opportunity “for reflection and review.” Sheargold acknowledged “the gravity of his comments” and apologized, but some words are difficult to retract.
The governing body emphasized that this incident is a stark reminder of the responsibility media outlets and personalities have in fostering respectful and constructive discussions about women’s sports and its participants. Every comment, every report, and every discussion shape public perception and reinforce societal values toward women and girls in sport.
