FIFA, not USSF. A $67m award, they
argue, would cripple their ability to
fund youth and other programmes.
It is true that the dispute is not like
for like. The men are primarily paid by
their clubs while the women who play
in NWSL – usually all of them – have
their salaries underwritten by USSF. But
they also play far more internationals
than the men, 27 to 15 in the last year,
and generate significant income doing so,
not least as they almost always play at
home. And they are far more successful,
with Megan Rapinoe and Carli Lloyd both
as high-profile as any male US player.
The case, filed in March last year, is
due for trial in Los Angeles on May 5 but
that date is in jeopardy due to restrictions
imposed by the coronavirus. Delay may
provide time for a settlement.
While the players are likely to accept
much less than $67m, a deal would still
be a victory for Rapinoe, Lloyd and co
even more significant than their World
Cup triumph in France last summer.
EURO 2021 MOVED
The women’s Euro 2021
will be rescheduled after the
men’s Euro 2020 was moved
to the summer of 2021 due
to the coronavirus pandemic.
With the latter stages of
the men’s competition to
be held at Wembley, and
all the women’s matches to
be hosted in England, there
would be an overlap.
With the Olympics – whose women’s
football tournament features first-
choice teams – also moving to summer
2021 the women’s Euros are likely to
be shifted to summer 2022. There is
space as the men’s World Cup is being
played later in the year in Qatar.
The UEFA Women’s Champions
League, like all domestic competitions,
was suspended indefinitely due
to the virus outbreak.FRANCE,
GERMANY AND
CROATIA WIN
VIRUS-HIT
TOURNAMENTS
Hosts France won the
inaugural Tournoi de
France defeating Canada
and Brazil 1-0, before a
94th-minute equaliser secured
a draw with Holland. The first four
matches produced only two goals,
the last two 10, but that final round
of matches was played behind closed
doors due to the coronavirus outbreak.
The pandemic also affected
the Algarve Cup with Italy forced to
return home before they could play
the Final with Germany for fear of
being unable to do so due to an
incipient travel ban. Thailand withdrew
from the lower-ranking Cyprus Cup
due to the contagion. Croatia won
the truncated competition.MELBOURNE TOP DOWN UNDER
The last major women’s match to
be played before COVID-19 forced
a lockdown was the Grand Final
of Australia’s W-League. Melbourne
City, the regular-season winners, beat
defending champions Sydney FC 1-0
with a goal from Steph Catley. It was
City’s fourth title in five seasons and
was played behind closed doors
in Melbourne’s 30,000-
capacity AAMI Park.
“It was weird,” said
City’s Kyah Simon. “It
sounds like you are
listening to music with
no bass. There was no
real sound other than
our own.”SPAIN IMPRESS
Spain underlined their recent progress
on their debut in the SheBelieves Cup.
La Roja beat Japan and England, and
pushed the US close, with Barcelona’s
Alexia Putellas named the player of the
tournament. The world champions won
all three matches but needed a late
header from Julie Ertz to beat Spain.LEUPOLZ MOVES TO LONDON
The current season may be in
suspension but Chelsea are already
looking to 2020-21, with the WSL
club announcing the signing of Bayern
Munich captain Melanie Leupolz.Historic...new USSF
president Cindy
Parlow ConeDelayed...England’s Jordan
Nobbs and Phil Neville with
the Euro trophyCommanding...Melbourne City keeper
Lydia Williams in the Grand FinalBest...Alexia
Putellas