After months of threats and public wrangling, a group of international soccer players have followed through and filed a lawsuit in Canadian human rights court with the hope of forcing FIFA and the Canadian Soccer Assocation to install grass for the 2015 Women’s World Cup. The players are claiming they are being discriminated against on the grounds that men have never been forced to play on anything other than grass, although youth World Cups for both genders have been played on artificial turf.
Players file lawsuit over 2015 Women’s World Cup use of artificial turf
Lawyers claim gender discrimination in Canadian human rights court, citing the fact that no senior men’s World Cup has been played on anything other than grass.
Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports
“Through public statements and private communications the players and their lawyers have clearly signaled to CSA and FIFA that we want to resolve the ‘turf war’ through good faith negotiations rather than litigation,” the players’ lawyers wrote in a statement. “CSA and FIFA have ignored these overtures. As a result, the players have no choice but to initiate the legal action filed today. Whatever happens in court, CSA and FIFA have lost any claim to being good stewards of the women’s game -- until they correct their mistake.”
Neither the CSA nor FIFA have given any indications that they’ve seriously considered installing grass on the six pitches slated to host games, and FIFA Deputy Director for Women’s Competitions Tatjana Haenni recently said, via NBC Sports, “there’s no Plan B” for the artificial turf.
NBC Sports obtained a full copy of the letter sent to courts, and it can be read here.
The list of players who have signed onto the lawsuit includes many of the game’s biggest names, among them Alex Morgan, Abby Wambach, Marta and Nadine Angerer.
While this represents a seemingly significant step for the players, they have also said they don’t have any plans to boycott the tournament if they don’t get their way.
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