Sports
FIFA president, Infantino calls for ‘full equality’ in football
FIFA president, Infantino calls for ‘full equality’ in football
FIFA president Gianni Infantino feels equal pay at the Men’s and Women’s World Cups would only be a “symbol” that would not “solve anything” ,if additional development targets for the women game are not achieved.
England will play Spain in the final for an increased prize pot of $110 million for this tournament, more than three times than what was on offer for the 2019 Women’s World Cup in France.
This is still significantly less than the $440 million awarded at the 2022 men’s competition in Qatar.
Infantino had outlined ambitions for prize parity by the 2026 and 2027 World Cups, but two days before the conclusion of the ninth edition of the women’s showpiece, challenged stakeholders to do more.
Infantino said, “let’s really go for a full equality. Not just equal pay in the World Cup, which is a slogan that comes up every now and then.
“Equal pay in the World Cup, we are going in that direction already.”
“But that would not solve anything. It might be a symbol but it would not solve anything, because it’s one month every four years and it’s a few players out of the thousands and thousands of players.
“We need to keep the momentum. We need to push it. We need to go for equality but we have to do it for real.”
Two months before the tournament, Infantino threatened that he may be “forced not to broadcast” the World Cup in Europe’s ‘big five’ countries.
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This followed what he felt were “very disappointing and simply not acceptable” offers from broadcasters, though deals were eventually done.
Viewing figures have broken records in Australia, where a peak 11.5 million people – about 46 per cent of the population – tuned in to watch the Matildas play England in their semi-final.
The match was the country’s most-watched television programme of any kind since 2001 when the existing rating system was established.
In the UK, the 7.3 million people who viewed the same contest on BBC One comprised the country’s largest audience of the World Cup so far.
On Friday Infantino reiterated his view that broadcasters have a part to play in the prize parity target.
The 2023 tournament was expanded to 32 teams, and is also the first time the competition has been hosted by more than one country.
Infantino said, “some voices were raised, where it cost too much, we don’t make enough revenues, we will have to subsidise.”
“And our opinion was, well if we have to subsidise, we will subsidise, because we have to do that.”
“But actually, this World Cup generated over $570 million in revenues, and so we broke even.
“We didn’t lose any money and we generated the second highest income of any sport, besides the men’s World Cup, at a global stage.
The decision to include more teams initially drew skepticism that it would only highlight the disparity between lower-ranked teams, and heavily-resourced nations at the top of the table.
Instead, this has been one of the most competitive finals on record, guaranteed a new champion after 2011 champions Japan were eliminated at the quarter-final stage.
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One round after double-defending title holders the United States were sent packing in the Round of 16.
World number four England managed just one goal against tournament debutants Haiti, 49 places below them in FIFA’s world rankings.
Debutants Morocco advanced alongside Jamaica, who were knocked out in the group stage in their only other appearance in a final.
Three top-10 sides in Germany, Canada and Brazil were eliminated in the group stage, while England’s quarter-final opponents Colombia advanced to the last eight for the first time.
Breakout performances at this World Cup could lead some players to more lucrative contracts in places like Europe and the United States.
FIFA’s most recent benchmarking report revealed the average league and club salaries for women worldwide was just $14,000.
Infantino demanded, “football in general, in all the leagues and all the competitions, pay a fair price.
“Show that you respect women and women’s sport. You will see the feedback that will be absolutely fantastic.”
“We need to have more local competitions, more continental competitions, more international competitions because when you see some of the beautiful, stories that were written at this World Cup.”
“We need to create the conditions in the next four years for them to able to play at professional level at home. This is the biggest challenge we have to take onboard.”
(NAN)
Sports
Chelsea in dramatic come back dent Aston Villa top-four hope
Chelsea in dramatic come back dent Aston Villa top-four hope
A brilliant second-half strike by Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher secured a 2-2 Premier League draw with Aston Villa on Saturday as the Blues staged a thrilling comeback from two goals down to threaten Villa’s Champions League hopes.
Aston Villa are fourth on 67 points, seven ahead of Tottenham Hotspur, who play title-chasing Arsenal in the North London derby on Sunday as one of their three games in hand over Villa. Chelsea are ninth on 48 points.
Thrashed 5-0 by Arsenal in midweek, Chelsea got off to the worst possible start when Aston Villa midfielder John McGinn’s shot was scuffed into his own net by Marc Cucurella in the fourth minute, and the home side dominated the opening 45 minutes.
They went in 2-0 up at the break after Morgan Rogers added their second goal just before the break, his third in three home games for Aston Villa.
However, the game then turned as Aston Villa were forced to replace keeper Emi Martinez with Robin Olsen due to a hamstring injury, and the Swede was powerless to stop Noni Madueke from pulling back a goal in the 63rd minute.
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When Gallagher was left room to shoot from the edge of the box he needed no second invitation, curling a stunning 81st-minute equaliser past Olsen to put his side level.
Chelsea almost completed an incredible comeback by snatching a late winner as substitute Axel Disasi headed what looked to be a stoppage-time winner for the visitors, but Benoit Badiashile was found to have committed a foul in the build-up and the goal was ruled out.
That decision provoked an angry response from the Chelsea players, with several of them confronting the referee after the final whistle to protest about the decision.
“Should it have been three points? Yes. Do I think the goal should have stood? Yes. Nothing else to say about the situation,” Chelsea goal-scorer Madueke said in a post-match TV interview.
“We have an abundance of quality and when we fire we’re a match for any team. The last game was terrible. For 70 minutes today the team were outstanding,” he added.
Villa’s Rogers was philosophical, despite how close his side came to losing on the night.
“We are disappointed, they controlled most of the game. we should probably see the game out, we might look back on it as a good point because they’re a good team,” he said.
Chelsea in dramatic come back dent Aston Villa top-four hope
Sports
Relegation threatened Burnley hold Man United to a 1 – 1 draw
Relegation threatened Burnley hold Man United to a 1 – 1 draw
Burnley’s survival hopes received a huge boost after it held Manchester United to a stalemate at Old Trafford, with Zeki Amdouni’s late penalty earning the Clarets a point that inches Vincent Kompany’s men a little closer to pulling off a great escape.
Adrift of safety and knowing Nottingham Forest and Luton play fellow basement dwellers next weekend, Burnley realistically needed to leave Old Trafford with something to show for their efforts to boost their survival hopes.
Those hopes almost took an instant hit though, when Alejandro Garnacho was afforded too much space at the far post, but he was leaning back and his strike drifted harmlessly over the bar.
United were firmly on top in the opening stages, and they came even closer shortly after when Antony broke in behind, only to see his effort drift narrowly wide of the post.
A United opener only seemed a matter of time away when they came even closer midway through the first half, with Bruno Fernandes watching on with anguish as his effort crashed back off the post.
That seemed to be the wake-up call Burnley needed, as it was then their turn to land a couple of blows, with Wilson Odobert’s effort forcing an acrobatic stop out of Andre Onana, before Lyle Foster’s header saw the Cameroonian produce an even smarter stop.
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It was all Burnley towards the end of the opening 45, but they simply couldn’t make their pressure count, with Onana again keeping United in the game by denying Foster one-on-one.
You sensed there was always a likelihood the Clarets would be made to pay for their missed chances, and they were almost made to do so within minutes of the restart. Fortunately for Kompany’s men, Arijanet Muric produced a fine stop to deny Antony after he was smartly set up by Garnacho.
It was a rather strange feeling for both sides as the game approached its latter stages – largely because both desperately needed the win for very different causes.
United looked the likelier of the two to find what would’ve been a huge winner, yet the irrepressible Muric was doing his level best to ensure that wouldn’t be the case, producing another impressive stop to deny Garnacho.
There was always a sense of inevitability that Muric would eventually get beaten, and so it proved a little over 10 minutes from time.
It was in gift-like fashion too, as Antony read Sander Berge’s blind pass, strode clear on goal and slotted into the bottom corner.
Unwilling to lie down though, a moment of madness from Onana, who clattered Amdouni, afforded the Swiss international the chance to score from the spot – one he duly accepted to earn Burnley a deserved point in the desperate battle to beat the drop and dent United’s top six hopes in the process.
Relegation threatened Burnley hold Man United to a 1 – 1 draw
Sports
Liverpool draw West Ham as title hopes slip
Liverpool draw West Ham as title hopes slip
Liverpool’s Premier League title hopes seem all but over as Michail Antonio scored to rescue a point for West Ham at London Stadium.
Jarrod Bowen opened the scoring just before the break when he rose highest to meet Mohammed Kudus’ cross into the area as Liverpool showed little evidence that their Merseyside derby loss in midweek had done much in the way of spurring them on.
But the visitors were much improved in the second half and Andy Robertson equalised when he scored from Luis Diaz’s low pass into the penalty area.
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They were then rewarded for their pressure when Cody Gakpo’s effort from a corner bounced off Angelo Ogbonna, Tomas Soucek and Alphonse Areola before finding the back of the net.
It looked like they were on their way to bouncing back from back-to-back defeats in the league until Antonio’s thumping header put the Hammers back on level terms.
Liverpool sit third in the table with three games remaining, two points behind leaders Arsenal, who face Tottenham on Sunday, while Manchester City are second but have two games in hand.
Liverpool’s title hopes appear to be all but over, with the Reds relying on both of their title rivals to slip up to get back in the race.
Liverpool draw West Ham as title hopes slip
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