Having a giant spotlight on your business, sport or industry should be the “right time” to have challenging discussions about things like equal pay. If not while everyone’s watching, then when?
But so often, we hear leaders with the responsibility for such action using that same spotlight as the excuse to for avoiding such conversations, wanting to instead focus on all the positives that can be celebrated in front of the cameras.
The latest such example comes courtesy of FIFA President Gianni Infantino, who has described himself as “happy with everything” on the eve of the Women’s World Cup, officially starting today, just as he was asked about equal pay and the Australian national team’s powerful call for those participating in the men’s and women’s world cups to receive equal prize money.
Infantino told a press conference in New Zealand that he would prefer to discuss the “positives”.
“Money is always a tricky and sensitive issue,” he said.
Money is particularly tricky for women in professional sports, especially where they put the same effort, dedication, travel, time and passion into the game as their male counterparts. And despite women bringing in increasingly larger crowds, higher ticket sales and more broadcast viewers.
A record-breaking 1.3 million tickets have been sold for the Women’s World Cup, which is now on track to become the biggest women’s sporting event in history, achieving an expected global audience of 2 billion.
But the women playing won’t receive anything like what the men took home from FIFA Men’s World Cup in 2022. The women’s tournament will see a US$110 million ($162 million) prize pool split across the players of 32 teams. It is a massive increase from 2018, but it is still just a quarter of what was on offer for the men’s World Cup, which was US$440 million ($648 million).
So can we talk about it? Can we raise it? Can we use this spotlight to highlight the value these players are bringing to the sport?
Can we use all the “positives” about the current tournament that those like Infantino want to raise to have a bigger conversation about it here that can trickle into other sports, to other industries and workplaces?
But as the FIFA boss said on Wednesday. “Today is the eve of the opening game of the Women’s World Cup and for me, it’s a moment to focus on the positive, focus on the happiness, focus on the joy.
“Until the 20th of August, you will hear from me only positive things about everything and everyone.”
He added that he loves everyone. He is happy.
”If somebody’s still not happy about something, well, I’m so sorry. I am happy with everything, and I love everyone. As of the 21st of August, we focus on some other issues around the world and all the problems that are coming up.”
Earlier this week, the Matildas released a powerful push for equal pay.
They shared how collective bargaining enabled them to get the same conditions as the Socceroos men’s team – with one exception. “FIFA will still only offer women a quarter of as much prize money as men for the same achievement,” midfield Tameka Yallop said in the video.
Sam Kerr said in the video: “Those who came before us showed us that being a Matilda means something… They showed us how to fight for recognition, validation and respect.”
But it’s not a conversation FIFA wants to have. Not now. Not while the spotlight is on.
FIFA’s goal is to achieve equal prize money between the men’s and women’s tournaments by 2027. But it’s far from guaranteed to happen, described as an “ambition” and highlighting the role the broadcasters will need to play in stepping up their bids for the rights to air the women’s tournament.
Meanwhile, women continue to await the opportunity to participate in a club world cup for women, with FIFA launching the men’s Club World Cup 23 years ago, in 2000. An announcement is pending, we’re told.
In the past, leadership at FIFA has spectacularly failed on sponsorship and media rights bids. Numerous followers of these broadcast negotiations have seen how FIFA has used the Women’s World Cup as a freebie – an extra little sweetener – for those who bid for the men’s World Cup. The 2023 tournament marks the first time that FIFA has sold the women’s tournament’s commercial rights separately to the men’s commercial rights. This World Cup edition is the first time the tournament will break even – it’s brought in US$500 million.
Infantino said that deals had been reached in Europe – after FIFA threatened a blackout in some countries – that saw promises made for long-term investments in promoting the women’s game. Infantino pushed to defend this – he noted that “the financial element was not the most important” thing, and that “we added this promotion element, and this is the way, for me, forward to promote the women’s game. It’s the most effective way to grow women’s football.”
“We want to see, all over the world, at least one hour of women’s football streamed by the main broadcasters because that’s the only way you can promote the game,” he said. “That’s what we’ll focus on over the next couple of years.”
Australia will get that hour – and a little more – over the coming weeks, with every Matildas game and the tournament final aired on free-to-air TV. The remaining matches? You’ll have to sign up for a paid subscription for that. As Women’s Agenda reported last week, just 25 per cent of the games will be on free-to-air television.
FIFA could learn from the International Cricket Council (ICC) here, following its announcement last week that men’s and women’s international cricket teams will receive equal prize money in the sport’s largest tournaments – including world cups.
ICC chair Greg Barclay noted how cricket is “genuinely a sport for all” and that this decision reinforces this, and enables them to “celebrate and value every single player’s contribution to the game equally.”
What a lesson for FIFA to take on. A sport for all, celebrating every player’s contribution. We could even call it the world game.
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