Latest news with #womeninfootball
South China Morning Post
09-07-2025
- Sport
- South China Morning Post
Give women top jobs, says China's Wu, as 4 men take charge at Asia football competition
As four male head coaches get set to lead their teams in the women's East Asian Football Championship, the China captain Wu Haiyan said it 'would be a very good improvement for football' if more women filled the top Asian jobs. Wu's international boss is Ante Milicic, who was appointed in May last year after Shui Qingxia was sacked following China's failed Olympic qualifying campaign. The six China bosses before Shui, who was in charge for two years until November 2023, were all men. China will begin their East Asian campaign on Wednesday night against a South Korea team helmed by Shin Sang-woo. Earlier in the day, Chinese Taipei, led by Hongkonger Chan Hiu-ming, will kick off the tournament against Nils Nielsen-managed Japan. 'I am a player now, so I only put my focus on how to play well, but in future, if there is any chance of more female high-level coaches, it would be a very good improvement for football,' Wu, who has more than 100 caps, told the Post. The top nine Asian teams are managed by men, but South Korea skipper Lee Geum-min said she had 'no comment about the gender of the coach'. 'What's important is that the coach understands the team and the players they are coaching,' the Birmingham City forward added.
BBC News
06-07-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Uefa vice-president Laura McAllister says 'micro-misogynies' still exist in football
Uefa vice-president Laura McAllister says there is still work to do to wipe out "micro-misogynies" in football and ensure the sport is not dominated by Wales captain McAllister has been on the executive committee of Uefa, European football's governing body, since who is in Switzerland for Euro 2025, said attitudes to women in football still need to change."I have been talking a lot to the media while I have been out here and I have described it as kind of micro-misogynies, which I think is probably the best way of describing what's still going on in football," she said. Her comments come as Wales lost 3-0 on their Euros debut. "Football is still a male-dominated sport. I have experienced it first hand."They don't patronise me because they know my background as a player and as an administrator, but I can see how women are treated in football and we have still got more work to do."McAllister, 60, said the only way to change attitudes towards women in football is "from within"."Some of the work we are doing within Uefa and indeed within the Football Association of Wales (FAW) is attempting to remedy a long-standing, historic domination by men of our sport and that can't go on," she added."Tournaments like this are just such a great opportunity to celebrate all that's fantastic about women's football, but it doesn't stop once the final happens. It's about what we do next."McAllister will watch on with pride as Wales' women compete in their first major tournament in their history. McAllister, who won 24 caps, played for Wales at a time when the women's side were fighting to be formally recognised by the said that while the country's involvement in the European Championship was "historic", it was up to those who run the game in Wales to build on the success of Rhian Wilkinson's squad."We need to ensure the grassroots of the game are in rude health," McAllister added."No girl should be turned away from playing football, whatever her background, wherever she lives, whatever club she goes to."There should be spaces for girls to play everywhere across Wales and we need to strengthen our pathway so that we expect to qualify for most tournaments."The only way you do it is if you have a really strong talent pathway that brings through the players to become the next Sophie Ingle and the next Ceri Holland."
The Guardian
03-07-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
‘Everything is better': how Rubiales's unwanted kiss transformed Spanish women's football
For years, they battled on multiple fronts: pushing back against the misogyny, misconduct and mistreatment of their football federation while simultaneously seeking to be the best in the world. The conflicts of Spain's women's team exploded into public view after they won the World Cup in 2023 – a historic triumph that was almost immediately overshadowed by an unwanted kiss on the lips from the country's football chief. On Thursday evening, La Roja will take to the field for their first match of the Women's Euro 2025, in a tournament that is set to be a showcase of the squad's prowess on both battlefields. Widely seen as the favourites to win, the reigning world champions have also become a global symbol of women's fight for equality, on and off the field. 'I think these players represent a 'before and after' for all young girls who want to play football,' said the film director Joanna Pardos. Her Netflix documentary It's All Over: The Kiss that Changed Spanish Football delves into the long-running push for equal treatment that was thrust into the spotlight after Luis Rubiales planted an unsolicited kiss on the player Jenni Hermoso. 'Rubiales' terrible behaviour at the World Cup was like the straw that broke the camel's back,' said Pardos. 'In a way, it was like the tip of an iceberg. I wish it hadn't happened because it was disgusting, but the kiss helped to expose the whole iceberg underneath.' Before the World Cup, 15 La Roja players faced public smears and belittling by some media after they refused to play for Jorge Vilda, the coach at the time, complaining about his tactics, training methods and controlling management style. One year later, as media around the world captured Rubiales' refusal to resign, with the football chief instead hitting out at the 'scourge' of 'false feminism', the spotlight was recast on the team's struggle for flight times that would allow them a decent night's sleep before games and equal pay, among other problems. In the lead-up to the Women's Euro 2025, players were swift to highlight how things have changed. 'I remember when I used to come play for the national team and I didn't enjoy it; I just wanted to go home, to be honest,' the two-time Ballon d'Or winner Aitana Bonmatí told reporters late last month. 'It was tough to play here; the situation wasn't good … Now everything is better.' That sentiment was echoed by La Roja's other two-time Ballon d'Or winner, Alexia Putellas. 'The conditions have changed a lot,' she said. 'Especially in terms of travel, nutrition, training, things have changed radically. Now we're enjoying conditions that are at the top level of the men's team. It's something that has taken a lot of effort and work by many people.' Earlier this year, Rubiales was convicted of sexual assault over the unsolicited kiss. He was ordered to pay more than €10,000 in fines and barred from contacting or approaching Hermoso for a year. He has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and his lawyer has said he will file an appeal against the verdict with the supreme court. La Roja's push for equality gripped Spain, setting off a conversation that swiftly spilled into other spheres of society. 'What was very clear was that it was never about the kiss,' said Prof Helena Legido-Quigley, of Imperial College London. 'It was much more about power, about consent and also the way that institutions protect power for men.' With fellow members of Women in Global Health Spain, Legido-Quigley seized on the moment, calling for women in academia and healthcare who identified with Hermoso to share their own experiences. Within five days, more than 200 stories had poured in. It was a clear sign of how the squad's struggle had tapped into a wider vein of discontent, one that Legido-Quigley said she hoped would pave the way for Spain to start tackling the structural problems that had long allowed this behaviour. Instead she watched as the backlash began. 'A new narrative has emerged,' she said. 'It's about discrediting feminism and making people doubt the seriousness of these issues.' While the pushback has seemingly been smaller in Spain than in some other countries, Legido-Quigley said she worried that this reaction would hinder the search for solutions. The global scrutiny of Spain came after years of the country positioning itself as a leader in women's equality, putting in place laws and protocols to ensure equal treatment. The longstanding treatment of the country's female football squad, however, hinted at a glaring void of sanctions and inspectors to ensure these regulations were followed, said Mar Mas, who leads the Spain-based Association for Women in Professional Sports. 'You can fill a city with traffic lights, but if there's nobody to fine those who sail through red lights, it's not going to make any difference.' While Mas welcomed the changes that had been made, she emphasised that much work remained to be done. When Spain takes to the pitch on Thursday, the squad will not include Hermoso, the all-time leading scorer for Spain's national team with 57 goals in 123 matches – a controversial decision that has sparked questions about how far-reaching the federation's changes have been. In the wake of the World Cup kiss, the coach Montse Tomé left Hermoso out of the squad, describing it as a 'way to protect her'. Tomé did eventually call Hermoso up again but this time has declined to do so, citing the competition for her position. Mas said she believed Hermoso was being made to pay a personal price for speaking up. 'What is clear in this country is that there are many women who have spoken out against their federations and who have ended up sacrificing their athletic careers. That is how it works. Despite all the laws on equality and protocols, women are still not fully protected when it comes to exercising their rights.'
Yahoo
30-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Durham defender Salicki signs new deal
Durham defender Becky Salicki has signed a new contract with the club. The Wildcats announced the news via a post on their official club website this morning. Salicki is one of Durham's longest-serving players with the defender having joined the club way back in 2016. The centre-back has gone on to make 205 appearances for The Wildcats in all competitions in which she has scored 16 goals. Salicki has been an important member of Durham sides that have pushed for promotion in her time at the club. Advertisement Salicki is a key member of the Durham back-line and the club have therefore moved to retain her services for the upcoming season. After signing on again at Maiden Castle, Salicki said 'It feels really good, this is my home and I love it here. 'It's always been the same here – the attitude we have here of never say never and never giving up is a big part of me. 'The fans are huge. What an unbelievable amount of fans we get home and away and it's ever-growing. 'At the last game of the season, I spoke to quite a few people who were new and had never been before and they were so excited for the new season to come back, so that's a really good part as well.' Salicki is the third player to sign a new contract with Durham this summer.
Washington Post
30-06-2025
- Business
- Washington Post
Michelle Kang takes over as president of Ligue 1 team Lyon as John Textor resigns
American businesswoman Michele Kang has taken over as president of seven-time French champion Lyon after John Textor resigned following the club's relegation over financial irregularities. The South Korea-born Kang is also majority owner of the Lyon's women's team — OL Lyonnes — and has been on Lyon's board of directors since 2023.
