Players seek World Cup turf talks
Women allege discrimination over fake grass
TORONTO — Players challenging the use of artificial turf at next year’s Women’s World Cup in Canada are pushing to speak to FIFA Secretary-General Jerome Valcke at the tournament draw in Ottawa later this week.
They also want to discuss goal-line technology and prize money at the showcase soccer tournament as well as the playing surface.
The lawyer for the players says if they do not get to speak to the FIFA executive, the entire Australian team will join the rebel faction whose legal challenge over artificial turf is currently before the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario.
The players have jumped on Valcke’s commitment to keeping lines of communication open.
“We will again welcome open dialogue at the official draw on Dec. 6 in Ottawa,” Valcke said in an Oct. 29 article on fifa.com.
“I personally, will attend (the draw) alongside our pitch expert and medical teams, and I am sure that in this way we will be able to address all concerns and doubts so that all of the participating teams can focus on their preparation for the biggest event in women’s football.”
A FIFA spokesman subsequently reiterated that Valcke, who will also attend a news conference Friday in Ottawa ahead of Saturday’s draw, is willing to talk.
Now it appears it is just a question of how.
The lawyer representing the players spearheading the legal challenge says stars like American Abby Wambach, Germany’s Nadine Angerer, Spain’s Veronica Boquete, and Brazil’s Marta cannot be in Ottawa for the draw due to “commitments on other continents.”
They have proposed a conference call Thursday or Sunday.
The 2015 tournament, to be played from June 6 to July 5 in Moncton, Montreal, Ottawa, Winnipeg, Edmonton and Vancouver, is to be played exclusively on artificial turf. FIFA argues that the use of the surface is permitted as long as it meets standards and that turf makes sense in the Canadian climate.
The women argue in their challenge that making them play on an artificial surface — “second-class competition conditions” — is discriminatory because the men play their showcase tournament on natural grass.
“It could well be that sooner rather than later the men’s World Cup will also be played on artificial pitches,” Valcke responded in the Oct. 29 article.
So far the Human Rights Tribunal has rejected the players’ request for an expedited hearing, offering “early mediation” instead.
The players accepted but the offer was turned down by the Canadian Soccer Association, which doubles as the national organizing committee for the tournament.
The legal team representing the players has tried to expand the debate by bringing in other aspects of the women’s tournament that differ from those at the men’s World Cup to bolster its discrimination argument.
The issue of tournament prize money is the latest to be added to the list.
The men’s World Cup is FIFA’s cash cow.
The 32-team tournament in Brazil featured total prize money of $476 million US with Germany receiving $35 million as winner.
Teams that did not make it past the group stage of the competition each received $8 million.
Participating associations also got $1.5 million apiece to help prepare.
The total purse of the 2011 women’s tournament was $7.6 million with the winning Japan side collecting $1,075,000.
Each of the 16 teams received at least $325,000.
The 2007 edition of the Women’s World Cup was the first to feature prize money.
FIFA has yet to confirm whether goal-line technology, used in Brazil, will feature in next year’s women’s event, which will number 24 teams.