Viral French football ad makes powerful gender statement as Matildas call for equal prizes in Women's World Cup
Sakina Karchaoui of France in action during a friendly match between Australia and Canada ahead of the FIFA Women's World Cup in Melbourne, Australia on July 14. (Mark Avellino/SIPAPRE/Sipa/AP)
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Brisbane, Australia -
Days out from the start of the Women鈥檚 World Cup, teams are turning up the pressure on the sport鈥檚 governing body and spectators to give women players equal pay and respect.
An advertisement by telecoms company Orange and the French national team that uses visual effects to draw attention to the quality of the women鈥檚 game is spreading quickly on social networks.
And on Monday, members of Australia鈥檚 national team released their own video taking a swing at FIFA鈥檚 failure to grant women the same prize money as men.
Australia and New Zealand are co-hosting the tournament which kicks off Thursday as New Zealand takes on Norway at Eden Park.
The total prize pool for the women鈥檚 tournament was raised to US$150 million this year, but it鈥檚 still only about a third of the US$440 million handed to the winners of last year鈥檚 men鈥檚 World Cup in Qatar. The women players say it鈥檚 not enough.
FIFA has said it鈥檚 committed to closing the pay gap and last month that it said provides every Women鈥檚 World Cup player with 鈥済uaranteed remuneration for their achievements.鈥
But by making the point that, despite the pay disparity, the women are just as skilful as the men.
TARGETING PERCEPTIONS
, Orange and French creative agency Marcel sought to overturn prejudices that 鈥渁ll too often surround the players鈥 鈥 that the women鈥檚 game is less skilled and exciting than the men鈥檚.
鈥淢any football 鈥榝ans,鈥 without ever having watched women鈥檚 football, have strong opinions about the level of the players,鈥 according to trade journal Marketing Communication News.
For the Orange ad, producers scoured the French Football Federation鈥檚 archives for weeks to find technical moves by the French Women鈥檚 National Team before searching for their 鈥渆xact replicas鈥 during the men鈥檚 game.
The videos are cut together with dramatic music and screaming fans to give the impression of a male highlights reel.
At the end, it鈥檚 revealed that viewers have been watching members of the women鈥檚 team.
The assumptions that women鈥檚 sports are inferior to men鈥檚, so are less deserving of investment and reward, has long been an issue perpetuated by misogynistic attitudes among some fans.
In 2022, a survey of 1,950 male football fans in the United Kingdom by Durham University found that 鈥渙penly misogynistic attitudes鈥 still dominate football fandom.
Those with misogynistic attitudes saw women鈥檚 sport as inferior, and its coverage as 鈥減ositive discrimination鈥 or 鈥淧C nonsense,鈥
鈥淪imply increasing the visibility of women is not enough to end sexism and misogyny in the sport,鈥 she wrote. 鈥淲hat we need to reach equality and justice on the pitch and beyond is a gender revolution.鈥
MATILDAS CALL FOR EQUAL PRIZE MONEY
In their own video, the 23 members of the Australian Matildas squad list their predecessors鈥 challenges and achievements in securing better working conditions, but say the job鈥檚 not done yet.
鈥淪even hundred and thirty-six footballers have the honour of representing their countries on the biggest stage of this tournament. Yet many are still denied the basic right to organize and collectively bargain,鈥 the players said in a video statement shared on Twitter.
鈥淐ollective bargaining has allowed us to ensure we navigate the same conditions as the Socceroos (the men鈥檚 team), with one exception. FIFA will still only offer women one-quarter as much prize money as men for the same achievement,鈥 the players added.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino says the governing body鈥檚 鈥渁mbition鈥 is to offer equal prize money at the next World Cups in 2026 and 2027, but the Australian players want confirmation that it鈥檚 going to happen.
Last month, for the winning teams, along with payments for every athlete that takes part. Each player will receive at least $30,000 for making the group stage, with members of the winning team taking home $270,000 each.
FIFA says the payments will make a 鈥渕eaningful impact鈥 on the lives and careers of the players, while noting that the annual global salary of professional women footballers is around $14,000.
鈥淏eyond this, all member associations will also receive a record financial distribution based on their performance, which they can use to reinvest back into football in their countries and which we believe will help to propel the women鈥檚 game even further,鈥 FIFA added.
In May, Infantino bemoaned the low offers being made for media rights to the tournament, saying 鈥渂roadcasters pay US$100 to US$200 million for the men鈥檚 FIFA World Cup, but they offer only US$1 to US$10 million for the FIFA Women鈥檚 World Cup.鈥
At the time, he said offers were a 鈥渟lap in the face of all the great FIFA Women鈥檚 World Cup players and indeed of all women worldwide.鈥
The Matildas video pointed out how hard it is for players rising through the ranks to make a living.
鈥淥ur sisters in the elite women鈥檚 are still pushing for sport to be a full-time career so that they don鈥檛 have to work part-time jobs,鈥 they said, calling on fans to support those players and the next generation of Matildas.
鈥淲e call on those who run the game to work to provide opportunities for girls and women in football, whether that be players, coaches, administrators or officials,鈥 they said.
鈥淎nd we call on all those in positions of power across football, business and politics to come on this journey with us to make women鈥檚 football as big as it can be here and around.鈥
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