Rapinoe: “It’s annoying, it shouldn’t happen”

the american star Megan Rapinoe said at a press conference in California a few hours ago that she sees a “paradigm shift” for women’s sports thanks to World Cup 2023 this summer. The 37-year-old forward, currently a two-time world champion with the US team, will seek the treble in Australia and New Zealand starting July 20, in a competition that will be broadcast free of charge to 34 European countries.

Thus, women’s sport is in a transition, according to Rapinoe, who, at the 2019 World Cup in France, led her team in the fight for equality with the men’s team, especially in terms of bonus, who won his case against the American federation.

For this edition, FIFA announced that each player will leave with at least 30,000 dollars (27,400 euros) and the winners, with 270,000 dollars (247,000 euros). Therefore, this World Cup will be “a real opportunity to break the roof in terms of enthusiasm, media and sponsors and, in general, business around this sport,” said the 2019 Ballon d’Or.

“I think now everyone is interested in women’s football. It would be really bad if you don’t watch the tournament, because you will miss a great cultural moment… It is the biggest women’s sports event in the world , however. exception, and this is a global paradigm shift, not just in the United States.”

But all this came only after a “fierce fight” for decent pay, recalls Megan Rapinoe, stressing that “there’s still work to be done” despite the progress.

The Canadian team, for example, has yet to find an agreement with its federation. Their captain, Christine Sinclair, said she hoped for at least a temporary solution before the team left for Oceania. As for Jamaica, they had to use crowdfunding to fill the lack of their federation’s budget. “It’s annoying,” Rapinoe said. “It shouldn’t be happening. But I think it’s getting better… I think teams are getting more resources.”