Romina Navarro, Violeta Camarasa, Laila Le Guen, Atsushi, Lully Posada, Lara AlMalakeh, Ardi Pulaj, Ardita Osmani, Rohith Jyothish, Sanjib Chaudhary
Collage courtesy of Violeta Camarasa. From the United Arab Emirates to Thailand, Chile or Nigeria, football is the most popular sport on our planet among men and women. Nearly 30 years after the first Women's World Cup took place in China in 1991, prejudice towards women playing football is “continuous across many regions of the world,” according to a recent report by world players’ union Fifpro. Women are challenged by adverse labor conditions, discrimination, sexual harassment, and unequal pay. Despite these challenges, women's football began to be taken seriously in recent years, and not only because of the talent on the field. Women have been speaking up about sexism in their profession, news media stories on women's football have multiplied and corporate sponsors have started to pay attention. Luxury magazine Business Destinations wrote: Women’s football has been taken to another level, with the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup signalling a new era of professionalisation. Here is a short list of female footballers from around the globe who are changing the rules of the game through their talent and activism: Last November, while the world devoted tributes to the late football legend Diego Maradona, a young Spanish footballer raised some eyebrows. Twenty-four-year-old Paula Dapena refused to pay homage to the adored Argentinian player before a match in Pontevedra, Spain, arguing that his skills as a footballer were not enough to wipe away multiple allegations of abuse and violence against women. Her gesture was rewarded in Spain with the award of Cidade de Pontevedra 2020, and she became a new symbol of feminism, but it came at a cost: she became a target of harsh online harassment, which included death threats. Around the world, women who stand out in any sports often suffer from online harassment and trolling. A post shared by Paula Dapena (@paulads14) Unfortunately, online harassment is not the only form of abuse women football players face. Sexual harassment has also been well documented. As a player of the Afghan Women National Team, Khalida Popal raised her voice in 2019 to add to the anonymous sexual abuse allegations made against the president of the Afghan football federation, Keramuddin Karim. FIFA barred Karim from the sport for life, yet the team had to stop training because of the scandal. After a career-ending injury, Popal founded the Girl Power organization, which uses sport to help motivate and empower minorities in Europe. She is also event director of the Afghanistan Women's National Football Team as well as an ambassador of Street Child World Cup. A post shared by Khalida Popal (@khalidagirlpower) Megan Rapinoe, winner of the Ballon d’Or Féminin and Best FIFA Women’s Player in 2019, has gained worldwide recognition both for her career on the football field with the US women’s national soccer team and for her anti-racist, feminist and LGBTQ+ activism in sports. She was included in Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People of 2020. Together with the US squad, Rapinoe joined the calls in 2019 for equal pay, which led to an ongoing lawsuit against their federation. In an interview with the BBC, the player shared her message to other women: “Don't settle for anything less, go for equal, go for more.” Disparities of pay between women and men football players has been studied in Chile, Colombia, United States and Argentina, where many women footballers are not paid at all, as they play as amateurs. In places such as Australia and the US, working conditions, which are arguably better than in other regions, are the result of the players joining unions that represent their professional interests. In September 2020, Brazil announced that it will become one of the few countries to give equal pay to their women's and men's football teams. A post shared by Megan Rapinoe She/Her ?️? (@mrapinoe) In September 2020, Yuki Nagasato, a 33-year-old Japanese 2011 World Cup winner and a prominent forward for Chicago Red Stars at the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL), caused a sensation in Japanese society by announcing her temporary transfer to men’s amateur team Hayabusa Eleven. In an interview for FIFA, Nagasato said she could compensate for physical differences with her fast decision-making skills. “I want women to be respected and seen for their talents first, not their gender,” she added.