‘Stick a cork in it!’: Piers Morgan slams ‘gender-deranged WOKE wastrels’ for asking to change the England women’s football team nickname from Lionesses to Lions in ‘the single most PATHETIC virtue-signalling campaign ever’
- England women have made it all the way to the final of Euro 2022 on home soil
- But some fans believe they should be referred to as ‘Lions’ instead of ‘Lionesses’
- The idea, proposed on BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour, has been met with backlash
- Piers Morgan has waded in on the debate, calling it ‘pathetic virtue-signalling’
Piers Morgan has lashed out at ‘gender-deranged woke wastrels’ who have called for the England women’s football team to change their nickname from Lionesses to Lions.
Sarina Wiegman’s side have made it to the final of Euro 2022 on home soil with several dazzling displays, but it seems not all supporters are keen on how the team are referred to.
During a discussion on BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour on Wednesday morning, the show’s presenter Emma Barnett read out a message from a listener which questioned the use of the ‘Lionesses’ nickname.
Telling guest Anita Asante – a former England star – that she had a ‘challenge’ for her, she asked: ‘Do you like the term ‘Lionesses’? Why not ‘Lions’, why do we have to call them ‘Lionesses’?’
The idea was immediately met with backlash from listeners and now Morgan has waded in on the debate.
‘The campaign to call England’s magnificent footballing Lionesses ‘Lions’ to avoid being sexist is the single most pathetic virtue-signalling campaign ever – and the bar for that title was staggeringly high,’ he wrote on Twitter.
‘Just stick a cork in it, you wretched gender-deranged woke wastrels.’
England women reached the final of Euro 2022 on home soil after beating Sweden on Tuesday
Piers Morgan has slammed fans who want to change the nickname from ‘Lionesses’ to ‘Lions’
Morgan is not the only famous face to have hit back at the idea, with Coronation Street actress Dame Maureen Lipman writing in to Women’s Hour while it was on air yesterday.
The actress, 76, explained her objections by saying ‘the Lions are a male rugby team’, and pointing out the positive connotations of a ‘pride of lionesses’.
The British and Irish Lions are an international rugby team, while the England men’s footballers are nicknamed the Three Lions.
Coronation Street actress Dame Maureen Lipman also voiced her objections to the idea
Former England defender Anita Asante defended the ‘Lionesses’ term as ‘one of those things’
Dame Maureen went on to describe how she had cheered on the team the night before, praising their ‘magnificent teamwork, clean, fresh, gorgeous football, amazing flair and workload’.
She added: ‘Dazzling cheetahs, never mind lions. I am so excited.’
Programme guest Asante also defended the nickname and even laughed when Barnett suggested a change to ‘Lions’.
The 71-cap defender said it was ‘one of those things’ and that we ‘gendify everything, don’t we?’.
Alessia Russo scored the pick of the goals as England eased to a 4-0 victory over Sweden
The Lionesses will meet eight-time champions Germany in the final at Wembley on Sunday
‘To be fair, it’s been a great branding tool for the national team and a way for fans to relate and connect with this group of players,’ Asante added.
The Lionesses’ 4-0 semi-final win over Sweden on Tuesday night attracted a television audience of 9.3m, with an extra 2m viewers streaming the match through BBC apps – making it one of the most-watched events on television this year.
Beth Mead, Lucy Bronze, Alessia Russo and Fran Kirby all found the net as England eased through to the final in emphatic style.
They will meet eight-time champions Germany at a sold out Wembley on Sunday, which could set a new attendance record for a match in a European Championship, male or female.
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