“Once a certain journalist asked me what it’s like when I’m one of the few in the team who likes men and not women,” German national team goalkeeper Almuth Schultová confided recently on ARD television. “I just thought: Oh yeah, we’re at it again. Again, the prejudice that only lesbians play football,” described the married mother of twins.
Even my dad sent me to the wooden spoon a few times. For the audience, I am a lesbian, says the soccer player
Schultová recalled one of the most common “jokes” that circulate about soccer players. In the quoted German television documentary, other Bundesliga players spoke about their experiences with sexist coaches who freely commented, for example, on the background of their charges and included them with would-be lascivious remarks.
“We’ve all learned to ignore it,” commented German soccer player Franziska Bielfeldová.
A similar situation exists everywhere, including in the Czech Republic. Let’s just remember the rather weak-minded video of Příbram players from last year, in which some fighters sent their female colleagues in football boots to the plate and encouraged them to do something other than football.
We still encounter prejudices, say the Tepličanky women. They were amused by the video from Příbram
“Someone can do both, play football and stand by the stove. Unlike you, guys,” the Slavist Gabriela Šlajsová, for example, reacted to Příbram’s attempt at humor. There was a lot of negative reaction, but it also confirmed that women’s football still faces belittling and ridicule.
Undress! Undress!
Unfortunately, this year’s Women’s Euro, in addition to a number of positive responses, is also accompanied by waves of insults on social networks. These are the ideal fodder for anonymous “heroes” to spread senseless hatred. UEFA has already dealt with hundreds of posts with offensive content during the tournament – according to the Süddeutsche Zeitung newspaper, 70 percent are vulgar insults without specific targeting, 20 percent have a sexist tone, 6 percent are racist and 4 percent are homophobic.
“An insult is an insult, whether it’s on social media or in everyday life,” said Wendie Renard, France captain and eight-time Champions League winner.
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The spectrum of things that soccer players have to face is extremely wide. From random comments about lesbians, to male fans chanting “Strip! Take your clothes off!” to being groped by some coaches or officials.
“It is necessary to respond to each individual case of crossing the border. This is a task not only for football, but for all of us, be it girls or boys, women or men. It’s about the whole society,” emphasized Heike Ullrich, general secretary of the German Football Association.
