By Andrew Warshaw
September 4 – Lawyers representing many of the world’s leading female footballers protesting against playing next year’s Women’s World Cup in Canada on artificial turf have written to FIFA president Sepp Blatter as well as all six Confederation heads as the campaign for natural grass intensifies.
The letter, a copy of which has been seen by Insideworldfootball, includes the results of a survey commissioned by FIFA itself which shows that 77% of players feel major tournaments should be played on grass.
US national team veteran Abby Wambach is among those leading the campaign to replace artificial turf at the tournament, both because of the greater injury risks it carries and also claiming it amounts to gender discrimination.
The letter to the six confederations pointed out that the survey, commissioned by FIFA and conducted by the Sports Technology Institute of Loughborough University in the UK, involved 190 elite players from several national teams.
Asked if all matches for major tournaments should be played on grass, 77% responded they agree or strongly agree. “It was definitely presented in a way we all knew that was going to – in one way, shape or form – determine what surface we would be playing on in 2015,” Wambach said.
In late July, a three-page letter was sent to both FIFA and the Canadian Soccer Association by lawyers representing players from Germany, Brazil, Mexico, Spain, the United States, New Zealand and Costa Rica, among others, warning that unless the players’ concerns were addressed, legal action could be taken. No such action has been taken yet, but the letter to the confederations has racked up the campaign, cautioning against prohibiting players from speaking out on the issue.
“Such intimidation may run afoul of anti-retaliation laws which mandate that victims of gender discrimination have the right to institute or participate in legal proceedings without the threat of reprisal,” Attorney Hampton Dellinger of Boies, Schiller & Flexner in Washington wrote.
“This right is something that lawyers representing the players take very seriously. I urge you to take every necessary step to ensure that your national federations are not violating the players’ rights. Players must feel free to criticise the gender discrimination proposed for the most important event in their sport and join any legal proceedings necessary to vindicate their human rights under applicable law.”
Ina separate statement, Dellinger added: “In 2013, the world’s leading female soccer players were misled into believing that their clear voice in favour of grass fields for major tournaments such as the World Cup would be listened to.
” In 2014, there are reports that players are being pressured to stay silent. Canadian and FIFA officials need to be transparent about what happened then and what’s happening now. Above all, Canada and FIFA need to fix their mistake and give women’s World Cup 2015 participants the playing conditions they deserve and the law demands.”
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