'Are you serious?': Women's World Cup commentator sparks outrage after 'offensive' comment about Matildas star Katrina Gorry

The FIFA Women's World Cup got underway with the Matildas taking on Ireland in the Sydney opener on Thursday night.

But as attention from around the world turned to the impressive female athletes on the field, one commentator's remark caught people's attention.

After Matildas player Katrina Gorry made a hard tackle, commentator David Basheer said: "Certainly motherhood has not blunted her competitive instincts, that's for sure."

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The quip sparked anger online, with people labelling it "offensive" and "inane".

"The commentator finds it appropriate to say: motherhood has not blunted her competitive instincts. ARE YOU SERIOUS? Welcome to 2023 mate," one woman tweeted.

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Another person wrote: "Dear lord, I thought we were past this kind of ridiculous narrative from male commentators. Do better."

"Wonderful to be watching the women's soccer world cup game, but some unnecessary, inane (and offensive) commentary," one person said.

One woman asked: "An elite athlete at the foremost tournament of her sport and you're surprised she's competing to the best of her ability?"

Another tweeted in disbelief: "Oh wow! Did the commentator just refer to 'motherhood' in the way that I think he did?"

A few people were quick to draw comparisons to male players, asking: "Do they say these things about fathers?"

"Never ever heard a male player's parental stays commented upon," another woman tweeted.

"Has anyone heard a similar remark in relation to FATHERHOOD? It's an intriguing side effect of motherhood that seems to have been kept out of the medical journals," one person wrote.

While another asked society to "stop stereotyping mothers".

And it wasn't just women jumping onto Twitter to express their views on the topic.

One man asked: "Does motherhood naturally ruin your attacking instinct?"

There were some people calling online for a formal apology, while others just requested commentators in general "do better".

Gorry, 30, is a midfielder who welcomed daughter Harper in 2021 after undergoing IVF as a solo parent in Norway in 2020.

"I have three brothers, one sister, three-step and a half-brother – so always had a big family, always been around kids and always known that I'd wanted to have a family," Gorry told nine.com.au in a 2021 interview.

The Brisbane Roar player said the pregnancy gave her a new appreciation for her body and what it's capable of, as well as time away from the game and a chance to fall back in love with the sport.

The FIFA Women's World Cup is being hosted in the Southern Hemisphere for the first time and run until August 20, with games being played across Australia and New Zealand.

9Honey has contacted 7Sport for comment.