All 28 members of the US women’s national soccer team on Friday filed a discrimination lawsuit against the US Soccer Federation (USSF), just three months before defending their FIFA Women’s World Cup title.
US midfielders Carli Lloyd and Megan Rapinoe, who helped the US capture the crown in Canada four years ago and have them atop the world rankings heading into this year’s tournament in France, were among those suing the national governing body in US District Court in Los Angeles for equal pay and working conditions to their less successful male counterparts.
“Despite the fact that these female and male players are called upon to perform the same job responsibilities on their teams and participate in international competitions for their single common employer, the USSF, the female players have been consistently paid less money than their male counterparts,” the lawsuit said.
Photo: AFP
“This is true, even though their performance has been superior to that of the male players, with the female players, in contrast to male players, becoming world champions,” it said.
US teams have taken the Women’s World Cup title three times, including the inaugural 1991 edition in China, the 1999 event on home soil and in Canada four years ago.
US men, by comparison, were third in 1930 in the first FIFA World Cup, but their best showing since was a quarter-finals loss in 2002.
The women are seeking millions of US dollars in back pay and damages, and have long argued that the inequalities compared with men include quality of venues, number of matches, medical treatment, coaching and training opportunities and transportation.
Issues include the US women calling off a 2015 match in Honolulu on artificial turf due to safety worries over poor field conditions.
“Celebrate each other,” US star Alex Morgan, also in the lawsuit, said on Friday on Twitter, attaching a photograph of the US team training and the message: “Women around the world: Supporting each other, Fighting for each other, Showing up for each other, Empowering each other.”
The women seek class-action status to include every woman who has played on the national team since February 2015, which could add dozens more players to the lawsuit.
“The USSF has utterly failed to promote gender equality,” the women said in the lawsuit. “It has stubbornly refused to treat its female employees who are members of the [women’s national team] equally to its male employees who are members of the [men’s national team].”
“The USSF, in fact, has admitted that it pays its female player employees less than its male player employees and has gone so far as to claim that ‘market realities are such that the women do not deserve to be paid equally to the men,’” they said.
“The USSF admits to such purposeful gender discrimination even during times when the [women] earned more profit, played more games, won more games, earned more championships and/or garnered higher television audiences,” they added.
The federation has previously noted its support of the National Women’s Soccer League as a way of backing US women’s players in a way not done for men.
The US women, who finished second to England in the SheBelieves Cup at venues in the US, are set to defend their crown at the Women’s World Cup in France from June 7 to July 7.
The US are in Group F with Thailand, Chile and Sweden for the first round. They open against Thailand on June 11.
The move, coming on International Women’s Day, was the latest in a years-old dispute between players and the federation, which included a wage discrimination complaint with the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in 2016.
The players said that the federation has spent more on training and salaries for men, despite talk of investing in greater opportunities for women.
“The USSF ... has paid only lip service to gender equality and continues to practice gender-based discrimination against its champion female employees,” the lawsuit said.
US men and women each have collective bargaining agreements with the federation, the women’s deal being signed to avoid a possible strike ahead of the 2016 Rio Olympics. It expires at the end of 2021.
OUT AGAINST INDONESIA: Taiwan reached the semi-finals at the tournament for the first time by defeating Denmark, with Chou Tien-chen beating Viktor Axelsen Taiwan yesterday crashed out of the Thomas Cup team competition in Chengdu, China, but achieved their best result at the top-tier badminton event by reaching the semi-finals. Indonesia were too good in the semis, winning 3-0 to advance to today’s final against China, who eliminated Malaysia 3-1. In the opening singles of the men’s team clash at the Hi-Tech Zone Sports Center Gymnasium 2, Anthony Ginting defeated Taiwan’s Chou Tien-chen 21-18, 21-19 in 51 minutes, which put a huge hole in Taiwan’s aspirations to perhaps even make the final. In the men’s doubles, Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Ardianto downed Lee Yang and Wang
NO DOUBT: Spurs star Wembanyama was unanimously selected as NBA Rookie of the Year, winning all 99 votes to become the first Frenchman to capture the honor The Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday night produced a dominant defensive display to seize a commanding 2-0 lead in their best-of-seven playoff series against the Denver Nuggets with a 106-80 road victory. The third-seeded Timberwolves harassed Denver relentlessly to claim a second straight win over the NBA champions as the series heads back to Minneapolis for Game 3 on Friday. Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards scored 27 points apiece, but the star of the show was Minnesota’s suffocating defensive effort, which knocked Denver out of their stride almost from the tip-off. The Timberwolves finished with 11 steals and 12 blocks, in sharp contrast to
Top-ranked Iga Swiatek on Saturday came through “the most intense and crazy final” she has ever contested to avenge her loss to Aryna Sabalenka in last year’s Madrid Open final with a grueling three hour, 11 minute victory in the Spanish capital. Coming back from 1-3 down in the decider and saving three match points in total, Swiatek claimed a 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (9/7) victory to secure the Madrid Open trophy for the first time. “Well, who is going to say now that women’s tennis is boring, right?” Swiatek said. Swiatek, who picked up the 20th title of her career, and ninth at
One of Malaysia’s top soccer clubs has pulled out of today’s season-opening Charity Shield after a spate of assaults, including an acid attack, on players in the country. It leaves the kickoff of Malaysia’s season this weekend under a cloud following the unprecedented acts of violence against players, which have left the country shocked and angry. Authorities said they have imposed tighter security, but Selangor said that they would not play in the showpiece curtain-raiser against Malaysian Super League champions Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) citing “a series of criminal incidents and recent threats.” Selangor and Malaysia winger Faisal Halim is in intensive care