PIERS Morgan led complaints on social media after Mary Earps won the 2023 BBC Sports Personality of the Year award.
The 30-year-old goalkeeper was a key part of the Lionesses side which reached the Women’s World Cup final in the summer.
The Manchester United shot stopper also won FIFA’s Golden Glove award for the best goalkeeper at the tournament.
She followed previous female SPOTY winners tennis superstar Emma Raducanu and England team-mate Beth Mead.
But Morgan, 58, insisted that the Lionesses’ star should not have claimed the prize.
On X, formerly known as Twitter, he wrote: “Trying to get my head around two of England’s women footballers winning BBC SPOTY in successive years… while male sporting superstars with great personalities like Rory McIlroy, Frankie Dettori & Ronnie O’Sullivan have never won it.”
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Piers added: “No offence to Ms Earps, but shouldn’t it have been given to someone who actually won something in 2023?”
Another user said: “Mary Earps wins SPOTY for helping England win nothing. Oh but she did save a penalty so guess that’s enough, such a political winner this year second and third weren’t much better either.”
But others were supportive of Earps receiving the accolade.
The Prince and Princess of Wales tweeted: “Hugely well deserved, Mary. Congratulations! W”.
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Cairon Lee said: “She thoroughly deserved to win it she played a critical role in helping England to the final and giving them a shot to win it she has done a massive amount for goalkeeping as well as woman’s sport so well deserved in my opinion.”
Guillermo Ravelo wrote simply: “She deserves it.”
Earps saved a penalty from Spain’s Jenni Hermoso in the final, but the Lionesses were unable to add to their 2022 European crown as they slipped to a 1-0 defeat in Sydney.
At club level she kept 14 clean sheets as United finished second in the Women’s Super League.
She hailed the part her teammates had played in her achieving this individual accolade.
“I would not be here without my team-mates with the Lionesses and at Manchester United because we’ve achieved some incredible things over the last couple of years,” she said.
“While individual accolades are great, they only come after team success. This is their trophy just as much as mine.”
Former England cricketer Stuart Broad, who retired at the end of the fifth Ashes Test in the summer, was second in the BBC public vote and world heptathlon champion Katarina Johnson-Thompson was third.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
