Piers Morgan attacks Megan Rapinoe’s silence while Iranian women’s soccer players request asylum in Australia after anthem controversy (Image via Getty) Piers Morgan has sharply criticized Megan Rapinoe, saying the former United States soccer star has stayed silent about a serious issue involving Iran’s women’s national soccer team. The debate started after several Iranian players asked for safety in Australia during the 2026 AFC Women’s Asian Cup tournament. Australia confirmed that five members of Iran’s squad accepted asylum because they were afraid to return home. The situation became tense after the team earlier refused to sing Iran’s national anthem before a match against South Korea. Iranian state television later called the players “wartime traitors,” raising concerns about their safety if they returned.While the story quickly spread across global sports and political circles, Megan Rapinoe has not publicly spoken about it. Morgan pointed to that silence and accused her of hypocrisy, saying someone who often speaks about women’s rights should also speak about the Iranian players’ situation.
Piers Morgan calls Megan Rapinoe a hypocrite while Anthony Albanese and Tony Burke help Iranian players seeking safety
Morgan shared his criticism on X, saying Rapinoe and other public figures who speak about feminism should not ignore what happened to the Iranian women’s team.“The silence over this from Rapinoe, and so many supposed ‘feminists’ like her, is so telling, damning, and hypocritical,” Morgan wrote.He also referred to Rapinoe’s support for transgender athletes competing in women’s sports. Morgan added, “They would rather campaign for biological men to wreck women’s sport than campaign for these heroic young sportswomen to help save their lives.”The comments came after Rapinoe recently criticized the United States men’s hockey team on her podcast. She was reacting to players laughing at a joke by Donald Trump about women’s hockey.Rapinoe said on the podcast, “The United States men’s hockey team in their utter moment of glory, childhood dreams come true, once in a lifetime accomplishment, sensational ruined it for themselves because they allowed themselves to be totally co opted by a clown. And now you are a clown. You look like a clown.”Meanwhile, the situation involving the Iranian players became more complicated during the tournament in Australia. According to Australia’s Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke, striker Mohaddeseh Zolfi and support staff member Zahra Soltan Moshkehkar were among those offered protection. At first, several members of the delegation accepted asylum.However, Burke later told parliament that one person changed her mind and contacted the Iranian embassy to return home. That phone call revealed where the other players were staying.“I immediately gave the instruction for people to be moved, and that has been dealt with immediately,” Burke said.Australian authorities quickly moved the remaining players to a new location to keep them safe. Five Iranian players ultimately decided to stay in Australia. Burke identified them as Fatemeh Pasandideh, Zahra Ghanbari, Zahra Sarbali, Atefeh Ramazanzadeh, and Mona Hamoudi.“They want to be clear they are not political activists. They are athletes who want to be safe,” Burke explained.Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese also spoke about the situation. He praised the players and reassured them that they would be protected.“These are brave women,” Albanese said. “They are safe here and they should feel at home here.”The story has now become a mix of sports, politics, and global debate about athlete activism.