Twentytwo13

FIFA Women’s World Cup: It ended with a kiss

Unless you’ve been stuck on planet Pluto, you might not have caught up with all the excitement of the just completed FIFA Women’s World Cup!

“What? Is nothing sacred anymore? Leave the fiddling with ‘em leather balls to us menfolk” – the ultimate cry of the diehard misogynist if ever there was one.

Okay, I exaggerate. The game’s governing body has been organising the Women’s World Cup since 1991 – making Sunday’s final in Sydney (the tournament was jointly hosted for the first time by Australia and New Zealand) the ninth edition.

The United States was the inaugural winner. With four titles under its belt, it is the ‘winningest’ team.

It came into this tournament as the favourite but fell to Sweden (5-4) on penalties in the round of 16. Sweden beat Japan in the quarterfinals but lost to eventual champion Spain in the semis.

England surpassed expectations (everyone’s, but not its own) by reaching the final by beating Australia in the semis. Alas, the team carrying the fearsome ‘Lionesses’ nickname were tamed by a single goal from Olga Carmona.

Of course, the Spaniards are not above conjuring a bit of controversy that slightly took the sheen off of their enormous achievement – this is their first women’s World Cup win (the guys were world champions in 2010).

A possible quiz question: Which nation is the only country to have won the men’s and women’s football World Cups?

The Spanish football federation chief, Luis Rubiales, was accused of stealing the limelight during the prize presentation ceremony by grabbing (actually hugging) midfielder Jennifer Hermoso, and giving her, not a peck on the cheeks, but a mighty smooch on the lips.

He then ‘snatched’ the World Cup trophy from one of the players to present it to Spain’s Queen Letizia.

Interestingly, almost the whole of England – the Old Blighty – is up in arms that heir to the throne, Prince William of Wales (go figure how England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland, of which he will Lord over as King, should dad Charles give up the throne, compete as individual nations in FIFA’s competition) did not attend the match.

Apparently, he was concerned about the size of his carbon footprint (bless him) should he have flown all the way Down Under to be a spectator at a women’s football match – albeit the World Cup final!

So why was this tournament significant? Simply because those fighting for gender equality have, in football, a stage that is as big as a mass sporting spectacle can get.

Football is the world’s most-watched (and participated) sport, attracting huge attendances and corporate sponsorship, merchandising, and marketing.

The United States has made the greatest inroads – simply by being acknowledged (sometimes quite grudgingly) as the best team in the world, and having perhaps the best grassroots and infrastructure to boot (ahem, ahem, pun intended).

The players, led by the opinionated, voluble, acknowledged as one of its greats, and soon-to-retire Megan Rapinoe, have won several concessions from its national parent administrative body – Football USA – for equal pay.

Yes, most of the players play professionally, a lot of them in Europe for some of the world’s best-known, top-tier football clubs (like the Barcas, Real Madrids, and Chelseas), but the prize money for the tournament, and allowances for meals, lodging, and winning incentives, always leave the women short of breath and panting for more.

Through their agitation, the United States’ football governing body agreed to pool the prize money for FIFA men’s and women’s football tournaments to be divided equally between all players.

Women’s participation in football at the highest level has been a huge stage for proponents to put gender issues to the fore.

Indeed, the sports pages and gossip columns merge when same-sex relationships between the players who strut their skills on the field have their personal life stories laid bare by the tabloids.

The UK’s Red Topped rags, like the Sun, the Mirror, and even the hoity-toity, holier-than-thou Daily Mail, scramble to outdo one another to depict stories of same-sex infidelities and jealousies that spill from the beaches of Ibiza to the sporting cauldron that is the football pitch.

Be that as it may, this column will desist from going down that road and cover the story without sliding down the gutter.

So, one edition of the game is over. Spain is Campione du Mondial 2023. The sport looks healthy and thriving. If the great Pele was still with us today, I wonder what he would make of this Beautiful Game.

I cannot wait for the next instalment in 2027. Europe awaits!

The views expressed here are the personal opinion of the writer and do not necessarily represent that of Twentytwo13.