If there was ever any doubt over FIFA’s decision to increase this year’s Women’s World Cup from 24 participating teams to 32, what we witnessed in the group stages will no doubt put an abrupt end to such questions.
Over a drama-filled 15 days, we have watched some of the biggest upsets the tournament has ever seen. Favourites Germany, Canada and Brazil have been dumped early, the USA needing a goalpost to keep their hopes alive and a team backed by crowdfunding have reached the knockout stages for the first time, to name just a few.
It’s been captivating. It’s been enthralling and, for women’s football fans, it signifies one of the most exciting times in the sport’s history as the seismic gap between the top teams in the world and those towards the bottom of the rankings is evidently shrinking. Which is why the comments made by broadcaster Adam Boulton on his Times Radio show on Thursday were nothing short of ignorant.
When asking female co-presenter Kait Borsay about the World Cup and the exits of some of the world’s most elite teams, the former political editor of Sky News questioned whether it was serious or just some “random kick around”. He then asked whether the game was at a stage where it’s just “random” who wins.
Borsay was quick to shut the suggestion down, insisting that has never been the case. It is simply the fact that lower-ranked nations are raising their game.
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Let’s be clear, whether intentional or not, remarks such as those from Boulton only emphasise and further perpetuate the harmful narrative that women’s football isn’t a serious sport. It’s a glaring reminder of just how far we still have to go for these athletes to get the recognition and respect they deserve.
We wouldn’t talk about the women’s singles at Wimbledon as a ‘leisurely hit at the court’ or the women’s swimming competition at the Olympics as a ‘casual swim at the local pool’ - it’s disrespectful to label the women’s game in such a way. Not least because the men’s game would never be spoken about in the same vein.
Funnily enough, the women’s side are not the only Germany team to be knocked out of a World Cup at the group stage in the last 12 months. The men’s side suffered the exact same fate in Qatar in December. European champions Italy didn’t even make it to the World Cup last year after failing to qualify.
Does that make the men’s World Cup some random kick about? No? I didn't think so... The men’s World Cup would never be subjected to the same kind of questioning if higher-ranked teams were sent packing earlier than anticipated. Yet, when it comes to the women’s game, there remains an inherent bias that continues to undermine the achievements of female footballers.
In Qatar last year, the achievements of the Moroccan men’s national team were rightfully celebrated as they became the first African nation to reach the semi-finals of a World Cup. On Thursday, their female counterparts carved out their own rightful place in the history books as they reached the knockout stages, despite it being their World Cup debut. They’re one of three African nations to make it out of their group at this summer’s tournament, alongside England’s round of 16 opponents Nigeria and South Africa.
Jamaica, who had to crowdfund to even make it to Australia and New Zealand for the World Cup, qualified second in group F at the expense of Brazil. Their achievements should not be questioned, nor should they be resigned to some ‘random kick about’.
These teams and athletes have not fought through continuous adversity only to have their accomplishments disregarded and ignored. They deserve better. The women’s game deserves better.
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