Player revolts plunge Women's World Cup buildup into turmoil
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[March 01, 2023]
By Lori Ewing
MANCHESTER, England (Reuters) - Player protests and high-level
resignations are dominating headlines amid a growing sense of
reckoning in women's soccer less than five months before the World
Cup kicks off.
Noel Le Graet, president of France's soccer federation (FFF),
resigned on Tuesday, while Canada Soccer boss Nick Bontis stepped
down a day earlier with those countries' players embroiled in bitter
disputes with their federations.
Canada's women's team have vowed to boycott a pre-World Cup camp
next month over equal pay and support, while Le Graet faced
allegations of harassment. A government ministry audit concluded the
81-year-old Le Graet did not have the "necessary legitimacy" for the
position.
French women's coach Corinne Diacre is also under fire and her
future may be decided on March 9 by an FFF select committee.
Spain has also been rocked by a revolt by 15 players, who withdrew
from selection consideration in protest at coach Jorge Vilda.
While the clashes could cast a cloud over the women's global
showcase, which begins on July 20th in New Zealand and Australia,
players have vowed their fights are far from over, and some say the
recent resignations should be just the tip of widespread changes.
"Bontis' departure MUST trigger sweeping change," Amy Walsh, who
played for Canada at the 2008 Olympics and earned 102 caps, posted
on Twitter. "It's not enough.
"Our athletes -- as well as future generations of Canadian
footballers -- deserve so much better."
Neither Bontis nor Le Graet, however, are leaving the game. Bontis
was named CONCACAF Council vice-president (North America) on
Saturday, while Le Graet, who has denied all accusations, has
reportedly been pegged to lead FIFA's Paris office.
SUCCESS ON THE PITCH
The turmoil in the two women's programmes is in stark contrast to
their success on the pitch. Canada are the reigning Olympic women's
champions, while France topped their group in World Cup qualifying.
And while the governance battles rage on, female footballers have
forged strong bonds -- regardless of what country's colours they
wear. When the Canadian women played the recent SheBelieves Cup
under protest, they found they had allies in players from around the
world.
Both the Americans, who settled an equal pay lawsuit with their
federation for $24 million a year ago, and Japanese wore purple tape
on their wrists at the SheBelieves Cup, while the U.S. women said in
a statement: "Although we are now on the other side of this fight...
our counterparts in Canada and elsewhere are experiencing the same
pervasive misogyny and unequal treatment that we faced."
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Guests hold signs in support of the
Canadian National Women's Soccer Team before their match against the
U.S. at the SheBelieves Cup women's soccer tournament in Orlando,
Florida, U.S., February 16, 2023. REUTERS/Joe Skipper
Across the pond, England's Lionesses wore purple
wristbands at the Arnold Clark Cup, to "display their support (for)
the Canadian WNT players and for gender equality," the team said in
a tweet.
Canada's call for equality goes beyond equal pay. Forward Janine
Beckie, who was in Qatar for last year's men's World Cup as part of
Canada's broadcast crew, saw the "disgusting" discrepancy between
the two programmes.
She cited as an example that the Canadian men's team staff was twice
the size of the women's.
"I think we've been fighting blindly not knowing what our federation
was capable of in terms of support, and then we were all witnesses
to what our men's team received," said longtime captain Christine
Sinclair.
Canadian midfielder Sophie Schmidt told media through tears in
Orlando that she nearly quit over shoddy treatment from their
federation, but Sinclair and coach Bev Priestman convinced her to
reconsider.
France's team captain Wendie Renard said last week she would not
play at the World Cup as long as Diacre is in charge.
Fellow French internationals Marie-Antoinette Katoto and Kadidiatou
Diani have also said they were taking a step back from the national
team.
Spain's 15 players declared themselves unavailable, saying in a
statement that playing "significantly" affected their "emotional
state."
The federation replied saying that it wouldn't tolerate any pressure
from players.
(Reporting by Lori Ewing; Editing by Toby Davis)
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