France hosts the eighth Women’s World Cup, the most eagerly awaited in history due to the unstoppable growth of a sport that is fighting like never before to break down barriers.
France hosts the eighth Women’s World Cup, the most eagerly awaited in history due to the unstoppable growth of a sport that is fighting like never before to break down barriers.
“Dare to shine” is the slogan FIFA has chosen for this World Cup – Dare to shine! Let go, free yourself from prejudices, take risks, don’t be afraid to make mistakes, and enjoy yourself. This Friday the eighth Women’s World Cup kicks off in France with the match between the hosts and Korea (21.00, GolTV): the World Cup of vindication, of the fight for equal conditions. The girls also play, the girls – as the German internationals say – do not have balls, but they know how to use them.
Ada Hegerberg, the reigning Ballon d’Or, has decided to quit because of discrimination. In 2017 she announced that she would not attend this event if the conditions under which the men’s national team competes were not equalized: money, infrastructure, planning, accommodation, and so on. The American women, who led the fight in 2015 for the World Cup in Canada to be played on natural grass -something that ultimately did not happen-, are now demanding through a class-action lawsuit filed in a Los Angeles court that their federation stops discriminating against them. They are paid less than the men despite the fact that the women’s team has generated more profits, played and won more matches and championships [three-time world champions], and has drawn a larger audience.
The German women, eight-time European champions, and one World Cup champion tell in a video that for their first title they received a set of coffee. They say they play for a country that doesn’t even know their names and that since they started playing soccer they have had to fight not only against their rivals but also against prejudices such as the idea that women are for having babies and doing the laundry.
The Spanish women fight to be considered elite sportswomen and to have an agreement -35% of the women soccer players in the First Divisi
“Dare to shine” is the slogan FIFA has chosen for this World Cup – Dare to shine! Let go, free yourself from prejudices, take risks, don’t be afraid to make mistakes, and enjoy yourself. This Friday the eighth Women’s World Cup kicks off in France with the match between the hosts and Korea (21.00, GolTV): the World Cup of vindication, of the fight for equal conditions. The girls also play, the girls – as the German internationals say – do not have balls, but they know how to use them.
Ada Hegerberg, the reigning Ballon d’Or, has decided to quit because of discrimination. In 2017 she announced that she would not attend this event if the conditions under which the men’s national team competes were not equalized: money, infrastructure, planning, accommodation, and so on. The American women, who led the fight in 2015 for the World Cup in Canada to be played on natural grass -something that ultimately did not happen-, are now demanding through a class-action lawsuit filed in a Los Angeles court that their federation stops discriminating against them. They are paid less than the men despite the fact that the women’s team has generated more profits, played and won more matches and championships [three-time world champions, and has drawn a larger audience.
The German women, eight-time European champions, and one World Cup champion tell in a video that for their first title they received a set of coffee. They say they play for a country that doesn’t even know their names and that since they started playing soccer they have had to fight not only against their rivals but also against prejudices such as the idea that women are for having babies and doing the laundry.
The Spanish women fight to be considered elite sportswomen and to have an agreement -35% of the women soccer players in the First Division have a 10-hour work contract. The Argentinian women consider it an achievement to be able to play in women’s jerseys. The Italian women have managed to qualify for the tournament, something their male counterparts did not do at the last World Cup in Russia, and they still have to put up with comments like that of Fulvio Collovati, world champion in 1982, who says that when he hears a woman talk about tactics it makes him sick to his stomach. South African soccer is one of the few that boasts egalitarian measures. Its women’s team, making its debut in France, will receive the same goal awards as the men’s team.
“This past year we have taken a step forward at the Wanda the international attendance record for a club duel was broken with 60,739 spectators at an Atletico-Barcelona. Let’s hope that this World Cup will be another turning point. We want women’s soccer to reach every home and get people hooked on the game for good,” said Silvia Meseguer, Spain’s midfield lighthouse on Wednesday. The national team is playing its second World Cup in France. It has gone from receiving a cup as a gift to a car, from not playing preparatory friendlies to facing the biggest world powers from not having an analyst of the rivals to having an entire team and traveling with a psychologist.
The players recognize that physically they are below the world powers, (United States, Germany, France, England), but that little by little they are getting closer. In Canada, they did not get past the first phase, that World Cup will be remembered as the one of the rebellions against the old and macho methods of Nacho Quereda, who ended up resigning. Spain has not stopped reaping success at the lower levels, where the physicality is more equal and quality is more important. In this World Cup, the goal is to reach the round of 16.
The VAR will be used for the first time in France, but the teams will not be able to train at the stadium the day before the match. A simple “familiarization” of the field of play is planned. The World Cup will be broadcast in 135 countries and will reach one million people. FIFA has contributed 50 million dollars (44.3 million euros) to this World Cup: it has distributed 10,208,000 to the federations for the organization of friendlies and the construction and improvement of facilities. In addition, and for the first time, it will compensate clubs for the loan of players (7.5 million). France has invested 70 million. At the men’s tournament in Russia in 2018, the expenditure amounted to about 2,000. It’s time for women. In France: soccer and much more are at stake.