Issues and Inequalities Reported by Players About the Copa América Femenina
The Copa América Femenina began at the beginning of this month and is being held in Quito Educador. Said to be comparable to the UEFA Women’s Euro, the Copa Femenina is a grand tournament that highlights the love, ambition, and hard work of the South American Women’s National Soccer Teams. As this tournament is soon to conclude, many players are beginning to express their frustration regarding the inequalities they have been facing from CONMEBOL. They are also saddened by the lack of attendance shown by their fans.
One can see just by broadcasting the tournament on television that these games are lacking in attendance. During the game between Brazil and Uruguay, which just took place earlier this week, there appears to be less than half a stadium present. Many players have expressed their sadness and hoped for a bigger audience; many others question whether this is caused by a lack of ticket marketing or a change in prices. The Copa América has continued to sell tickets at a low rate, reportedly around three to five dollars; however, CONMEBOL released this information on their website on July 2nd, giving fans only a two-day notice before the tickets went on sale on July 4th.
Although attendance is low, players are expressing their frustrations surrounding the tournament's overall structure, specifically about their “poor training/warm-up” locations and a “lack of VAR.” It has been reported from multiple teams that players are assigned to warm up in cramped indoor locations before each game instead of the typical pitch. Many players are even more upset due to the lack of a Video Assistant Referee, VAR. The VAR was reported to be used during all the games in last year’s Men’s Copa América, and why it is not being provided for the Women’s League makes many wonder. The VAR is something that players stated “ensures fairness” in helping referees to make the right calls. As of this moment, CONMEBOL has not said anything in response to these claims, but as this year’s Copa América Femenina concludes on August 2nd, one can hope that the next Copa Femenina will rise above and improve these issues for the next set of players.
