Football World Cup star Megan Rapinoe calls out racism and homophobia in Fifa acceptance speech
The outspoken member of the winning US women' soccer team demanded more outrage towards inequality as she was crowned Player of the Year
Megan Rapinoe used her platform as the newly crowned player of the year at Fifa’s The Best awards to speak out against racism and homophobia, as well as the pay gap in football.
At the ceremony in Italy on September 23, Rapinoe gave nods to Iran’s ‘Blue Girl’ Sahar Khodayari, LGBTQ players, the anti-racism campaigns of fellow footballers Raheem Sterling and Kalidou Koulibaly, and the battle for equal pay.
“Stories that have inspired me most; Raheem Sterling and Kalidou Koulibaly, the young Iran woman who burned to death, the one out MLS player, the out NWSL players,” she said during her acceptance speech.
Khodayari was confirmed dead on September 9, a week after she self immolated after being arrested for trying to enter a stadium to watch a football match in Iran. Women are not allowed to watch football in stadiums. Khodayari disguised herself as a man to watch an AFC Champions’ League match between Esteghial and Al-Ain FC. She was caught, however and charged with openly committing a sinful act by not wearing a hijab and insulting officials. After the trial reached no verdict, Khodayari set herself ablaze outside the court.
Rapinoe also urged others to use their voices to make changes in the game. “If we really want to have meaningful change, what I think is most inspiring would be if everybody other than Sterling and Koulibaly, if they were as outraged about racism as they were, if everybody was as outraged about homophobia as the LGBTQ players, if everybody was as outraged about the lack of equal pay and investment in the women’s game other than just women, that would be the most inspiring thing to me,” Rapinoe said.