Spain, Canada, France… why do players resign from their national teams?

A few months after the start of World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, the situation of some women’s teams is unprecedented and worrying. Conflicts intensified between them federations and female players, against the backdrop of equal pay, lack of professional resources and poor governance. The most publicized cases are those Canada, Spain and France.

The Canadian team, demanding “fair and equitable treatment”, threatened to strike and led to the resignation of federation president Nick Bontis. In France, Wendie Renard led the complaint against the methods of coach Corinne Diacre, who was forced to resign. And in Spain, a group of up to 15 players complained about the management of the locker room by Jorge Vilda, who in this case was still in charge as they decided to resign from the World Cup.

The ‘BBC’ spoke to Fer Whelan, a former Brighton and Everton defender now at the PFA, about all these opportunities and how to prevent them. It’s “disturbing” that there is so much turmoil in international soccer, but the lightning-fast evolution of women’s soccer has brought the issues to the fore. “We are in a critical period. There is a lot of exposure, a lot of interest and we have a lot of expectations from the players. We have to make sure that we give back and listen to what they need.”

Whelan was grateful for the players speaking out as a group: “It’s a shame we’ve come to this point, but the players are to be commended for using their voices. A lot.” before”. “I, as a player, have someone to talk to if I have a problem, for example. It’s about making sure there’s a support network because it’s not just about going out and playing, it’s also about how I’m looked after off the field. The main thing is to know that the player is a person before becoming a footballer”.