"An example of the lack of equality": in England and Switzerland, they stated about the infringement of the rights of football players

"Players do not choose when to get injured"

The Football Association of England (FA) has made new amendments to the rules that govern the relations of clubs with athletes who have received serious injuries and need long-term treatment.

In accordance with the innovation, which received the support of such teams as Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City, the leadership of the clubs now has the right to dismiss the player, if the term of its recovery is more than three months. For men, this period is 18 months. At the same time, a contract with a player could only be broken if the injury was permanent.

According to the lawyer Eirik Monsen, representing the interests of some Norwegian athletes playing in the UK, a special medical commission will be involved to determine the severity of the injury, which will determine the fate of the players.

It is reported that all players playing in England have the same conditions, regardless of club membership. However, in accordance with the rules of the country's highest football division, the leadership of the teams has the right to deviate from generally accepted norms when concluding contracts. One of the representatives of the FA said that such changes are made to the contract with the consent of all interested parties.

“The contracts of football players are drawn up in such a way as to correspond to the peculiarities of this sport. They are being developed in conjunction with the FA, the teams and the Professional Football Association (PFA) to provide the necessary financial conditions for the development of women's football, ”he told Reuters.

According to him, the reason for the reform was the colossal difference between the financial position of the men's and women's leagues.

“Male professional football is more stable and better prepared for additional expenses in the event of injuries that require more time to be treated,” added the FA.

Previously, the changes affected the duration of payments to athletes who were injured. Initially, the amount of the contract was paid throughout the entire recovery period. Then this period was shortened to six months.

At the same time in similar situations, men are entitled to rely on a full salary for 18 months.

Many sportswomen were dissatisfied with the innovation. As the midfielder of London "Chelsea" Maren Mjelde admitted, she is disappointed by the fact that in England they still do not take into account the rights of women.

“No player chooses when to get injured. These changes in contracts are terrible, and they should be canceled, ”the player is sure.

Despite the fact that, according to football authorities, PFA participated in the development of these amendments, one of its leaders, Matthew Buck, assured that the organization only offered to accept the conditions in force in the English Premier League, and not to cancel the existing rules.

“I was shocked by the reaction of the girls”

However, the scandals associated with the violation of equality in football occur not only in the UK. The actions of the leadership of one of the most famous Swiss clubs, Basel, also raised a lot of questions from fans.

At the evening dedicated to the 125th anniversary of the team, which was attended by about a thousand guests, a less significant role was played by representatives of the women's team. Instead of celebrating the holiday with the others, sportswomen sold lottery tickets for visitors to the event.

In addition, they were not invited to a gala dinner and were content with only light snacks. At the same time, according to the leadership of "Basel", all the players were notified in advance that they would have to help in organizing the celebration, to which they "happily agreed."

“We planned to invite as many people as possible. Some places were reserved for the first team and functionaries. The remaining members of the club could not take part in the evening. For them, Basel plans to hold a separate event next year, ”local media quoted the official statement as saying.

However, this explanation was liked by a few. The Swiss politician Elizabeth Schneider-Schneiter strongly condemned the actions of the leadership of "Basel", calling them contrary to the country's constitution.

“It shocked me. But even more I am amazed at the reaction of the girls, who chose to keep silent about what had happened. Perhaps for them it is not a problem. But football continues to be exclusively a male sport and everyone behaves accordingly. It is not easy for a woman to achieve the same reputation as the representatives of the stronger sex. And Basel is a good example of the lack of equality, ”the CNN policy quotes.