Aussie 'double standards' blasted amid World Cup snub

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The Women’s World Cup is getting an summation successful prize wealth of much than 300 percent for this year’s tournament, on with confirmation a arguable sponsorship has been axed.

The $228 cardinal money for the archetypal 32-team tourney — covering prize money, squad mentation and payments to players' clubs — is simply a immense boost from the 24-team variation successful 2019, and 10 times what it was successful 2015.

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Some of the $165 cardinal successful axenic prize wealth should beryllium dedicated to paying players, FIFA president Gianni Infantino said successful Rwanda aft being re-elected by acclamation done 2027.

Players' national FIFPRO said it has challenged FIFA to unafraid a “global warrant of astatine slightest 30 per cent of prize money” that is paid to players.

FIFA besides said the Women's World Cup successful Australia and New Zealand won't beryllium sponsored by the Saudi Arabian tourism authority. Talks astir a imaginable woody had caused unease among players and the tourney co-hosts.

Government and World Cup organisers successful some big countries had questioned if the woody with Visit Saudi would beryllium due for the women’s tournament, particularly fixed Saudi Arabia’s grounds connected women’s rights. Among the players urging FIFA to rethink it, United States guardant Alex Morgan said the connection was “bizarre.”

Infantino called the quality a “storm successful a beverage cup” and said extending the Visit Saudi deal, which started astatine the men’s World Cup successful Qatar, was a treatment that “didn’t pb into a contract.”

“There is simply a treble modular present which I truly don’t understand,” the FIFA president said, aiming a barb astatine critics of the deal.

He said Australian companies had exported commercialized to Saudi Arabia worthy $2.25 cardinal each twelvemonth and “this doesn’t look to beryllium a occupation oregon an issue.”

Football Australia said successful a connection it welcomed FIFA clarifying the Visit Saudi speculation.

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“Equality, diverseness and inclusion are truly heavy commitments for Football Australia,” main enforcement James Johnson said, “and we’ll proceed to enactment hard with FIFA to guarantee the Women’s World Cup is shaped successful this light.”

Infantino besides again expressed his choler with broadcasters for offering excessively small for TV rights. He said FIFA volition not merchantability broadcast rights for the tourney successful Australia and New Zealand astatine the prices presently being offered

“Women merit much, overmuch much than that and we are determination to combat for them and with them,” helium said.

Female players worldwide person been warring for adjacent wage and adjacent respect with men’s nationalist teams, including the defending champion United States, Canada, France and Spain.

Infantino acceptable a people of adjacent prize wealth for men and women astatine their adjacent World Cups, successful 2026 and 2027, respectively — a pugnacious task erstwhile the 32 men’s teams shared $661 cardinal astatine past year's World Cup successful Qatar.

The FIFA president angrily targeted broadcasters, immoderate of them nationalist work channels funded by taxpayers, who helium said offered up to 100 times little for rights to the women’s tournament.

Infantino archetypal raised the contented successful October successful New Zealand, and insisted FIFA inactive would not merchantability astatine those prices with women’s shot drafting audiences possibly 20-50 per cent little than for men’s games.

“Well, connection america 20 per cent less, 50 per cent less. But not 100 per cent less," Infantino said successful closing remarks to the FIFA Congress. "That’s wherefore we can’t bash it.”

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