ADA HEGERBERG CANNOT change the world alone, insists Marta, who has called on female footballers to come together in the fight for equality as the Norway and Lyon star sits out the Women’s World Cup.
Hegerberg — winner of the first women’s Ballon d’Or — will be a notable absentee when the World Cup gets underway in France next month.
The 23-year-old forward has not played for her country since the 2017 European Championship due to her frustrations with the state of the women’s game in Norway.
Brazil sensation Marta, who is regarded as the greatest female footballer of all time, is a UN Women Goodwill Ambassador for women and girls in sport, and the six-time Fifa World Player of the Year says Hegerberg should not be carrying the responsibility by herself.
“This was the way she found to protest but in my opinion this must be made collectively,” Orlando Pride attacker Marta, who holds the record for most World Cup goals with 15, told Omnisport.
“If I’m alone I can’t change the world, I need all of you, mainly my fellow players so that things can evolve.
“When I talk about gender equality, I think that all women that can talk about it, they are allowed to talk also. What I mean is that Ada is paying a price of not playing for her country but this fight of hers is a fight of all of us.
“She doesn’t have to carry this responsibility alone. It was a very strong attitude. For me to do this, I’d need to have my fellow players’ support as it has already happened here in the US, with female athletes together to fight for things to get better in many ways. That’s it.”
Norway will come up against World Cup hosts France, South Korea and Nigeria in Group A, with the tournament set to get begin on 7 June. Marta’s Brazil, meanwhile, will meet highly fancied Australia, Italy and Jamaica in Group C.
Gavan Casey is joined by Murray Kinsella and Sean Farrell for a review of the 2018/19 season, and cast an eye forward to next year and the Rugby World Cup in Japan.:
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There are a lot of columns on this player across every outlet but none ever seem to address what exactly her concerns are and/or what would it take to get her to play for Norway again. It appears it started due to the Norway womens team not getting the same treatment as the mens team so proper order in putting their foot down until they got that, but as far as it was reported the Norwegians addressed that issue fairly comprehensively and yet she still won’t play.
Problem is that it doesn’t bring in as much money as the men’s game. You can expect to play in front of a fraction of the crowd and still expect the same money. That said, previous stories of the FAI expecting women’s teams to hand back gear and be out of pocket for representing their country is crazy. If the women’s game generates as much money, they should be paid accordingly, but as things stand, it doesn’t.
@Rocky: expenses being equal should be a given. The national team is the national team regardless of gender. There was a time the irish women got about €30 a day per diem while on international duty or at training camp etc which might not sound much but when you are taking your annual leave from working in the type of job a 21 or 22 year old might have it was nice to have. Of course the Big Cheese pulled that rug out from under them disgracefully.
@Rocky: But most are not talking about appearance money they’re talking about the basics. Proper kit, proper medical, proper training facilities, showcasing, insurance, and decent expenses. In many cases the latter is way more important as they don’t earn nearly as much as your average Male player…and if they are representing their country, which for most will be the height of media exposure, all of the above is the least they should be getting