Ellie Carpenter wins inaugural award in stunning response to ‘disgusting’ Matildas furore

Matildas fan favourite Ellie Carpenter has capped off an eventful 12 months for club and country after becoming the inaugural winner of the Asian Football Confederation’s Asian international women’s player of the year. Carpenter was an integral part of the Matildas side that made the semi-finals of the 2023 World Cup – the first Australian football team to do so on the world stage.

The 24-year-old defender has also been a consistent performer at her French club Lyon, helping them win a record-breaking 17th domestic women’s top-flight title, as well as reaching the UEFA Women’s Champions League final. The AFC said the award was presented for the first time in recognition of the growth of women’s football and the success of the continent’s top players.

Carpenter – who helped the Matildas beat heavyweights Germany 2-1 in a friendly in Duisburg earlier this week – edged Japan’s Yui Hasegawa for the top international women’s prize in Asian football at the awards ceremony in Seoul. The award comes as well deserved recognition for the Matildas fullback, who copped ugly backlash in the wake of Australia’s semi-final defeat to England at last year’s World Cup on home soil.

The livewire defender was subjected to a torrent of abuse from online trolls, following an unfortunate mistake that proved costly in Australia’s 3-1 defeat to England. Carpenter was at fault for England’s second goal when she failed to clear the ball and Lauren Hemp scooted in behind to slot the bal past goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold and make it 2-1.

The unfortunate incident came moments after Sam Kerr’s wonder goal had fired the Matildas level and sparked pandemonium around the country. But it wasn’t enough to prevent the Aussies suffering a heartbreaking defeat and many online trolls blamed the loss on Carpenter, who revealed she had to switch off comments on social media due to the torrent of abuse she copped.

Ellie Carpenter win award after ‘disgusting’ Matildas backlash

Socceroos great and commentator Craig Foster labelled the treatment of Carpenter “disgusting” and football fans around the country condemned the “vile” actions of some of the so-called Australian fans. Carpenter opened up about the ugly backlash weeks later during the Matildas’ preparations for their Olympic Games qualifier against Iran.

“You see it everywhere, in different leagues and different sports codes as well,” Carpenter said about the online abuse. “Obviously it’s a problem. And I know a lot of people are trying to make apps and platforms to try and stop abuse and things like that, so that’s good that people are aware of it and are trying to change it.

“To be honest, I don’t really read or look into that… For me, it doesn’t really affect me at all. I do a job for my team and myself. It (social media abuse) is everywhere these days. And that just shows that the bigger you are or the bigger you get, the more criticism you get. I had a great support system around me during that time and just during the whole World Cup really. But it’s just what it is. Like I said the bigger you are the more you get.”

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Carpenter’s award in Seoul comes after fellow Matildas star Cortnee Vine narrowly missed out on succeeding Kerr as the AFC’s women’s player of the year. Vine – who used to play for Sydney FC before making the switch to American club side North Carolina Courage – was overlooked in favour of Japan’s Kiko Seike, with South Korea’s Kim Hye-ri the other nominee. Qatar’s Akram Afif was named the men’s player of the year for a second time, while Tottenham superstar Son Heung-min was named men’s international player of the year.

with AAP