Saturday 9 March 2019 15:43, UK
Players for the US women's national team have filed a federal class-action lawsuit seeking equal pay to their male counterparts.
The lawsuit was filed in Los Angeles on Friday under the Equal Pay Act and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act.
It alleges gender-based discrimination by the US Soccer Federation and comes just three months before the team will defend its title at the Women's World Cup.
The players allege they have been subject to ongoing institutionalised gender discrimination, including unequal pay, despite having the same job responsibilities as the men's national players.
The 28 current members of the national team squad joined in the lawsuit, which was filed in US District Court.
"In light of our team's unparalleled success on the field, it's a shame that we still are fighting for treatment that reflects our achievements and contributions to the sport," said co-captain Carli Lloyd.
"We have made progress in narrowing the gender pay gap, however progress does not mean that we will stop working to realise our legal rights and make equality a reality for our sport."
"Each of us is extremely proud to wear the United States jersey, and we also take seriously the responsibility that comes with that," added co-captain Alex Morgan.
"We believe that fighting for gender equality in sports is a part of that responsibility. As players, we deserved to be paid equally for our work, regardless of our gender."
Co-captain Megan Rapinoe said: "We feel a responsibility not only to stand up for what we know we deserve as athletes, but also for what we know is right - on behalf of our team-mates, future team-mates, fellow women athletes, and women all around the world."
The US Soccer Federation did not have immediate comment but the US National Soccer Team Players Association have released the following statement: "The United States National Soccer Team Players Association fully supports the efforts of the US Women's National Team players to achieve equal pay.
"Specifically, we are committed to the concept of a revenue-sharing model to address the US Soccer Federation's "market realities" and find a way towards fair compensation.
"An equal division of revenue attributable to the MNT and WNT programs is our primary pursuit as we engage with the US Soccer Federation in collective bargaining.
"Our collective bargaining agreement expired at the end of 2018 and we have already raised an equal division of attributable revenue.
"We wait on US Soccer to respond to both players associations with a way to move forward with fair and equal compensation for all US soccer players."
