Soccer has a woman’s name

At first it was disdain, then just curiosity until reaching amazement a few weeks ago, when a crowd of 87,000 delirious souls watched England win the European title against Germany. Days later, in the America-Europe confrontation, also played in London, 83,000 hearts were dazzled by Brazil’s live-fire matchup against the English.

Nobody remembers disdain anymore, curiosity is an anecdote from the recent past. Today what is palpable is the consolidation of a thriving women’s movement that already, crossing the borders of disbelief, raises passions and money. In the ninth World Cup, which will be played in July-August in remote Australia and New Zealand, there will be good money for those teams that make up the best draw. From Oceania the voices of the organizers are heard, and already, three months after the initial kick-off, it is announced that more than a million and a half tickets have been sold for the championship. What an event.

A few years ago, when the German team won the 2003 World Cup, the “prize” for the Teutonic players was a tableware to take home and toast the guests with coffee. But such has been the turnaround that for the 2019 World Cup, won for the fourth time by the United States, the prize for the selected winner was one and a half million dollars, with a total budget of 15 million, ten times less than the of this 2023, although it is still distant in relation to that of men: 152 for girls, 440 for men. However, Fifa thinks that by 2027, with several candidate countries to organize it, it may be that both offer equal amounts. For now it does not seem possible, because for this to happen it would be necessary to convince important countries for football that, like Spain, Germany and Italy, are not yet convinced of the current and future importance of the girls.

Such has been the success that surrounds women’s football, that it is already beginning to arouse jealousy among some traditionalist sectors that only see football between men as possible (“Women scoring goals? It makes me want to laugh”). They do not conceive that television is concerned with putting cameras on and seeing the enthusiastic girls running eagerly after the ball, much less comparing brands between one another. And perhaps this is already beginning to be the case, which would move the foundations of a sport that, due to a centuries-old tradition, was only a men’s estate. Depending on the female avalanche that is coming, the interest could become the same for both.

Wow, it seems that soccer is changing its field and its ways of following the new story. And let’s not be surprised if one of these days we see a girl in the lineup of a great team: what would the popular acceptance be like? Yes, it is possible: soccer also has a woman’s name.

Venezuela gets ready

The national team took on the Copa América with the hope of qualifying for the World Cup for the first time. There was preparation, courage and commitment, but the differences with teams like Brazil, which set the standard throughout the tournament, made it clear that there was still a long way to go.

However, they have been working hard and with the coaching staff led by the Italian Pamela Conti trying to assimilate styles and tactical behaviors from other countries in the training of Creole girls. In addition, there are efforts to overcome the physical state, because they tend to fall apart in the second half of the games.

It has also been difficult to improve the level due to a lack of reference soccer players, and because by not having a competitive tournament at home, the players do not grow; Fortunately, some of them already play in more demanding leagues.