By Andrew Warshaw
October 3 – FIFA and the Canadian Soccer Association (CSA) have been given until next Thursday to respond to the legal action being taken by a group of leading players who are suing both organisations claiming gender discrimination over the planned use of artificial pitches at next year’s Women’s World Cup.
Led by Abby Wambach, the US national team forward, the players have filed a lawsuit suit at the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal in Toronto. They object to playing the tournament on artificial grass when their male counterparts have always played the World Cup on natural surfaces. They also claim there is a greater risk of injury.
The correspondence, via email and fax, is addressed to FIFA president Sepp Blatter and to CSA President Victor Montagliani.
“We are pleased to report that just a day after our legal action was filed, the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal has put the Canadian Soccer Association and FIFA on notice that both organizations must respond to the players’ motion to expedite the proceedings by no later than next Thursday,” said players’ attorney Hampton Dellinger.
“It is past time for CSA and FIFA to acknowledge that singling out women for artificial turf at the World Cup is a mistake and to work with the players on ways to fix it. But if CSA and FIFA are determined to litigate against their tournament’s own players, we hope they will not seek to delay or duck a decision on the merits of whether they are discriminating on the basis of sex against female athletes.”
FIFA have made no public comment since Tatjana Haenni, head of women’s competitions, said on an inspection visit to Canada that there was “no Plan B” to switch the tournament to natural grass.
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