The revolt of the executive players of the France team, led by their captain Wendie Renard, to obtain the departure of their coach Corinne Deacon on Thursday, is only the final wave of a much more global movement.

In recent months, the Canadian internationals have indeed stepped up to the plate, threatening their federation with a strike if they do not obtain an increase in the budgets allocated to their selection.

And since the end of September, about fifteen Spaniards have withdrawn from the national team, demanding the departure of their coach Jorge Vilda … Without success for the moment.

"Whether it's their financial conditions, the technical environment, the lack of professional structures in their federations or their leagues, all this does not correspond to what the players demand or produce on the pitch, nor to the growth of their sport", alarmed Jonas Baer-Hoffmann, the general secretary of the world union of players (Fifpro).

Spain women's coach Jorge Vilda, February 16, 2023 during a match against Jamaica in Gosford © Saeed KHAN / AFP/Archives

"No player should sacrifice part of their career to get what they are asking for," said the leader, interviewed by AFP.

A World without several stars?

French, Canadian and Spanish women are not the first to bang their fists on the table to ask for more consideration.

First female Ballon d'Or in history, the Norwegian Ada Hegerberg had retired for five years from the selection, after a disappointing Euro-2017, also evoking the inequalities between women and men in the bonuses paid by the federation.

And the highly publicized American team, led by its former star scorer Carli Lloyd then more recently by Megan Rapinoe and Alex Morgan, had lit the first fuse in 2016 by embarking on a long legal fight for equal pay.

Rapinoe and Morgan quickly supported the French rebels on social networks.

"You know it's serious when the most capped captain can no longer play for the French Federation", reacted Alex Morgan shortly after the withdrawal of the Lyonnaise.

The concomitance of the rebellion movements questions four and a half months before a World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, from July 20 to August 20.

Especially since the broadcasting rights are still not awarded for some major countries, such as France and England.

The hypothesis of a World Cup deprived of a few stars of the discipline "is a real risk", worries Jonas Baer-Hoffmann.

"We hope policy makers don't feel like a tussle but see that the protests come as part of a deep desire to advance the discipline."

Bis team in Spain

In Canada and France, the rebels were heard: Corinne Deacon was landed on Thursday, while the president of the Canadian Federation Nick Bontis resigned.

This federation also announced Thursday an agreement in principle for the financing of the national women's team.

Canada's women's team before a SheBelieves Cup match against Japan on February 21 in Frisco, Texas © Sam Hodde / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP/Archives

But in both cases, the revolt caused damage.

Canadian captain Christine Sinclair told the government on Thursday that she felt "insulted like never before" by ex-president Nick Bontis in his demands for financial equality.

As for Wendie Renard, she spoke of the consequences on her "mental health".

For the rebels of the Spanish team, the horizon is even darker: the Federation remained inflexible and supported coach Jorge Vilda, still in office.

He has summoned a second team at each rally since the fall, even if the selection's top scorer Jenni Hermoso returned in February.

Uncertainty remains around team star Alexia Putellas, who has been injured since last summer.

The reigning double Ballon d'Or is not one of the initial fifteen rebellious but had supported them.

Will she be called up when she returns from injury?

"It's a problem that is becoming widespread: the players don't have the possibility of giving the best of themselves. We have to fight every day for improvements in this kind of thing", railed the Catalan in a beIN Sports interview this week.

"Some selections succeeded (this fight) a while ago, others a little later, but in the end, the same question is repeated all the time".

© 2023 AFP