Matildas wanted for new concept

THE Matildas in Amman stand to become a foundation member of FIFA’s global international women’s league, according to Football Federation Australia’s Emma Highwood.

The concept will give the Matildas the potential to regularly play women’s soccer giants such as No. 1 FIFAranked the US, England (FIFA-ranked second) and reigning Olympic gold medallist Germany for points in home-and-away matches with the world’s best two nations fighting for a trophy in the final.

The FFA head of community, women’s and football development was locked in meetings over the growing idea during FIFA’s women’s conference in Amman, which has been held at a women’s Asian Cup venue for the first time.

“It’s not been signed off yet but I have just seen a draft that puts teams into rankings,’’ Highwood said in Amman at the two-day conference, which was headed by Sarai Bareman, FIFA’s chief women’s football and attended by several member federations’ officials and general secretaries who will also be watching games at the AFC Asian Cup in Jordan.

Australia played Thailand overnight.

“So you get to play countries that are equal [in rankings], we’re open to anything new that’s going to have more meaningful content and more meaningful games for the Matildas.

“At the moment in women’s football there’s centralised tournaments and then there’s nothing.”

The FIFA World Cup and Olympic Games are the only two global FIFA sanctioned tournaments for women at the moment.

The international women’s league proposal was floated by FIFA president Gianni Infantino earlier this year.

It would feature 16 of the top-ranked FIFA teams including the FIFA-ranked sixth Matildas in a competition that could start in November 2019 after the FIFA World Cup in France the same year.