Women's World Cup 2023 is being billed as the biggest yet, but still some teams are fighting with their FAs for change, pay and conditions; Sky Sports takes a look at the disputes involving Spain, England and Jamaica ahead of the tournament in Australia and New Zealand
Thursday 13 July 2023 13:06, UK
"Unfortunately this is women's football still."
Lucy Bronze delivered this sobering reminder at the England media day at St George's Park last month as the buzz around the Lionesses' World Cup campaign was picking up pace.
She was talking about the situation regarding Spain, one of the tournament favourites, who will be without some of their star players - including Barcelona's Champions League final match-winner Patri Guijarro - because of a dispute with their FA, the RFEF.
Fifteen players emailed the RFEF in September to declare themselves unavailable for selection as they expressed their discontent under head coach Jorge Vilda. Reports claimed there was a toxic culture which was impacting their mental health and performance.
The RFEF chose to stand by Vilda and were robust in their response. The rebels, who deny they were trying to get Vilda sacked, were told they would only return if they could "recognise their mistake and ask for forgiveness".
After months of uncertainty and a lack of clarity from Vilda and the RFEF, former Man Utd defender Ona Batlle and her two Barcelona team-mates Mariona Caldentey and Aitana Bonmati were the only ones from the 15 chosen to go to the World Cup.
Guijarro's Champions League-winning Barcelona team-mates Mapi Leon, Claudia Pina and Sandra Panos will also not be playing in Australia and New Zealand.
"I know that they're ambitious players," Bronze said of those missing out, many of whom she plays with at Barca.
But to them there's more at stake than accolades.
"It will really p*** me off not to go to the World Cup, but my values come first," Leon said in March.
Speaking to BBC Sport at St George's Park, Bronze added: "It's sad that they're missing out on something that's a huge moment in any footballer's career to make a difference. But unfortunately, this is women's football still."
Bronze's final words have proven to be a prescient warning for England, who flew to Australia without a resolution to their row with the FA over performance-related bonuses.
The European champions are understood to be disappointed that the FA has not offered to pay their own bonuses now FIFA is distributing prize money to players rather than to the federations, as had previously been the case.
Every player that participates in the tournament will receive £24,000 for playing in the group stages, while those who leave the tournament victorious will pocket £213,000 from world football's governing body.
The FA, which has been searching to find a resolution, feels that the players' 300 per cent rise in earnings compared to France 2019 is ample, especially considering this will be the first major tournament it is set to make a loss at with all the logistical costs.
The Lionesses, though, argue that if they progress to the latter stages of the competition the FA will boost its commercial revenues - something they feel they should benefit from, too.
The focus, naturally, leans towards star-heavy England and Spain, but their stories are not unique.
"Many teams around the world who face a lot of problems are fighting a fight," said Bronze.
"I think the Spanish girls have probably got more headlines because it's world-class players we're talking about, but there are many teams around the world - Jamaica is a great example - who are fighting to make their teams better and getting them on a level where they deserve to be."
The Reggae Girlz, whose squad includes Manchester City's top scorer Khadija 'Bunny' Shaw, are heading to just their second World Cup, hoping to go one better than their group-stage exit in 2019.
Their preparations have been far from straightforward, though. Jamaica have spoken out about what they describe as "subpar" support from the Jamaican Football Federation.
Friendlies have been missed due to poor planning, compensation contractually owed has gone unpaid and the Reggae Girlz' complaints appear to have fallen on deaf ears, an open letter from the players last month revealed.
Perhaps the perfect illustration of the situation Jamaica find themselves in is the GoFundMe page set up by Sandra Brower, the mother of midfielder Havana Solaun
She is asking "all the soccer enthusiasts who love the power of a Cinderella story" and "the women who know the fight for equality continues" to donate to help cover the costs of the tournament.
The Reggae Girlz Foundation is also hoping to raise $75,000 for the team's send-off camp in July.
This is nothing new for the Reggae Girlz, who have seen their funding cut by the JFF several times over the last nine years. The Reggae Boyz, meanwhile, have had no such issues.
Had it not been for the intervention of Cedella Marley, the daughter of music legend Bob, the Reggae Girlz may never have got to a World Cup at all. Marley, the Jamaica Women's Football Ambassador, has helped bankroll the team since 2014 - something she continues to do - and used her platform to ensure the Reggae Girlz receive the recognition they deserve.
The Jamaican Football Federation did not respond when approached by Sky Sports for comment.
Bronze, speaking last week in Australia about England's dispute, summed up why it is important for women's teams to keep nudging the dial regarding fair payment and conditions.
"I think the point of the players, and everyone involved in women's football, is about taking it to the next level and pushing the ceiling, not wanting to have a ceiling put on our game, and making sure we leave the game in a better place than what we found it," said Bronze.
Canada, Nigeria and South Africa have also voiced their frustrations over conditions and issues around compensation.
Negotiations for Canada's labour agreement have been hanging over the players' heads in the build-up to the tournament, while the head coach of their Group B rivals Nigeria admits he's considered not travelling because of difficulties he's endured when dealing with the country's FA.
South Africa felt compelled to boycott their send-off game over fears about the quality of the pitch and a dispute over performance-related bonuses, which has now been resolved after a charity stepped in with a donation.
This World Cup is a reminder of how much work is still left to do. Just because progress has been made over the last four years, it doesn't mean the job is done.
This is, after all, still women's football.
