Five top female footballers lodge complaint over lack of equal pay
Five top female US footballers have made a formal complaint about a lack of equal pay.
The senior members of the World Cup-winning US football team filed the complaint against the national federation, saying they are paid less than half that of what the men’s squad is.
Alex Morgan, Carli Lloyd, Megan Rapinoe, Becky Sauerbrunn and Hope Solo said they should be paid a fairer wage.
Goalie Solo said: “The numbers speak for themselves.”
“We are the best in the world, have three World Cup Championships, four Olympic Championships, and the USMNT [men’s team] get paid more just to show up than we get paid to win major championships,” said Solo.
The US women’s team has won a number of titles in recent years.
Lloyd, a team mate of Solo, said female players have waited patiently for the federation to offer fair pay.
One lawyer representing the women, Jeffrey Kessler, said the women’s game currently generates more income for US Soccer than the men’s game.
He said they had endured “discriminatory and unfair treatment” for years, and that the five women were taking a stand for all female players.
The complaint was filed against the US Soccer Federation with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission on Thursday.
The Federation said it was disappointed, because it had done work to advance women’s football.
The organisation also said it had not seen the complaint, but said: “We have been a world leader in women’s soccer and are proud of the commitment we have made to building the women’s game in the United States over the past 30 years.”
Hillary Clinton, who hopes to become US President, said: “Wouldn’t want to face these women on the field or in the courtroom. Every woman deserves equal pay.”
