July 11 – Still reeling from its World Cup humiliation, Brazil now has its most iconic female player demanding greater emphasis on the women’s game in the country.
Although Brazil are South America’s most successful women’s national team, there is little emphasis on development compared with, say, the United States and several European countries.
“One of our problems is the culture of Brazil which focuses on men’s football,” said Marta, Brazil’s five-times World Player of the Year. “Of course we would like to change that. Maybe one day we will have a strong competitive league instead of our women footballers always having to play abroad.”
She was supported by Lydia Nsekera, president of FIFA’s women’s football committee who last year became the first woman ever elected on to the FIFA executive committee. She urged Brazilian football authorities to put more time and resources into the women’s game.
Nsekera, a former president of the Burundi football federation, told the same briefing as Marta: “I am appealing to the CBF to put a lot of emphasis on women’s football so that it grows as well as men’s football. A lot of Brazilian women, including former players, have a part to play and need to work alongside the men’s game.”
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