They are not used to losing, but the players of the United States football team, double defending world champions, felt the bitter taste of defeat in their quest for equal pay with the team on Friday. masculine. Their request was dismissed Friday, in a summary judgment, by judge Gary Klausner of the District court of the United States for central California in Los Angeles, which rejected the main argument of wage discrimination of the plaintiffs.
He referred the grievances of the complainants on unequal treatment in accommodation, travel and other areas to a later judgment. A trial is scheduled to begin on June 16. Meanwhile, in terms of the main part of the case, it is a very heavy blow taken by the players of the national team, including the star of the team and feminist activist Megan Rapinoe, who fought for their cause for several years. The latter reacted on Twitter, with a single sentence expressing their determination: "We will never stop fighting for EQUALITY".
$ 66 million claimed
Their spokesman Molly Levinson said in a statement that the American players were going to "appeal". In his 32-page decision, the judge explained that the complainants had refused, on an unspecified date, an agreement that would have allowed them to be paid fairly with the players of the national men's team. "Consequently, the complainants cannot now retroactively consider that their collective agreement is worse than that of the men's team, by referring to the conditions of remuneration that they themselves have rejected," concluded the judge.
The players of the American team, winners of four of the eight Women's World Cups, including the last two in 2015 and 2019, were claiming $ 66 million in back wages, under the law of equal remuneration and the Civil Rights Act.
"Blatant sexism"
Initiated in March 2019, the legal action took a particularly acrimonious turn two months ago, when a file filed by lawyers of the federation made the argument that playing in the men's national team required a level higher skill, expressed in speed and strength, and assumed greater responsibility. These words had aroused immediate and widespread indignation on the part of the players, including Megan Rapinoe who had accused her Federation of "blatant sexism" in the files of the complainants, managers and sponsors such as Coca-Cola.
The president of the Federation Carlos Cordeiro had been forced to resign and was replaced by the vice-president Cindy Parlow Cone, former international player who had immediately withdrawn the annoying argument, in order to calm the situation. “We look forward to working with the National Women's Team to move forward in a positive way. We are determined to continue this work to ensure that our selection remains the best in the world, ”reacted the manager, anxious to avoid the June 16 trial.
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- Sport
- Women's World Cup 2019
- Wage inequality
- Soccer
- gender equality
- United States