More than 300 professional players from Uruguay gathered this Monday to demand better conditions for the women’s soccer in the country, emphasizing that “the time has come to occupy the place it deserves in the world of sport”.
So says a statement read at the headquarters of the Uruguayan Association of Professional Football Players (MUFP) in Montevideo.
“We demand equal opportunities and access to adequate facilities, resources and financial support,” said Graciana Ravelo, a soccer player and lawyer, in announcing the demands.
“Gender differences cannot continue to dictate the access and development of our football”, he highlighted.
The players appealed to the Uruguayan Football Association (AUF), the highest governing body for football in Uruguay, as well as clubs and sponsors to “invest in women’s football”.
“We will not continue to tolerate training in deplorable conditions, nor in floodplains or public squares; using locker rooms without the minimum of infrastructure and hygiene conditions; that they provide us with discarded men’s football uniforms; that we have to pay to be able to play, pay for transfers and , in some cases, even technicians and clothing; (nor) that clubs do not pay medical expenses in case of injuries,” said Ravelo.
And he added: “We will no longer allow short-term planning, improvised and without a real vision of the future”.
Earlier, Katia Gómez, Peñarol player, acknowledged that “the fight will not be easy” and that it will require “dialogue”.
“I hope that the new generations can enjoy football that is much more professional and with better conditions,” he said.
Founded in 1946, MUFP aims to protect the rights of professional footballers. The women’s soccer section opened in 2021 and currently includes around 600 players, a spokesperson for the association said.
Federated women’s football has been played in Uruguay for about three decades. In addition to the senior, under-20 and under-17 teams, around twenty Uruguayan clubs have women’s teams in different categories.
Source: Gazetaesportiva
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