Women soccer stars sue FIFA for discrimination over artificial turf

A group of top international women’s soccer players filed a lawsuit against the sport’s governing body FIFA and the Canadian Soccer Association (CSA) on Wednesday alleging gender discrimination over plans to use artificial turf in the 2015 Women’s World Cup but not in the men’s league equivalent.

The lawsuit, filed with the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal, asserts that the women’s final should be played on natural grass so long as men are permitted the same benefit. Furthermore, the women maintain that artificial turf exposes them to greater risk of injury, and that the surface impacts both how the game is played and how the ball moves.

"The gifted athletes we represent are determined not to have the sport they love be belittled on their watch," Hampton Dellinger, the attorney representing the players, said in a statement.

"Getting an equal playing field at the World Cup is a fight female players should not have to wage but one from which they do not shrink. In the end, we trust that fairness and equality will prevail over sexism and stubbornness."

Among the athletes filing the suit are American soccer stars Abby Wambach and Alex Morgan, Germany's Nadine Angerer, Brazil's Fabiana Da Silva Simoes and Spain's Veronica Boquete.

In an interview last month with The Associated Press, Wambach said she considered it a personal responsibility to take a leadership role on the issue.

"We have to stand up and put our foot down and say, ‘You know what? This isn't good enough. This isn't right and we deserve to be treated equally as the men,’" she said.

The World Cup finals for men and women, contested every four years, have always been played on natural grass.

The legal action comes one day after FIFA representatives began site inspections of the six venues that will host the June 6-July 5 competitions in six Canadian cities. One of the officials said there were no plans to reconsider using artificial turf.

"We play on artificial turf and there's no Plan B," said Tatjana Haenni, FIFA's head of women's competitions.

FIFA has appointed an independent examiner to make sure the turf at the six venues meets its strict guidelines for top-tier tournaments. The consultant is traveling with a FIFA delegation currently inspecting the sites.

FIFA rules stipulate that matches can be played on artificial turf if special dispensation is granted, as it was in Canada's case. The regulations also state that all matches in a tournament must be played on the same type of surface.

Canada's bid for the event specified that the final match be played at Vancouver's BC Place, which seats 55,000 and has an artificial turf.

But many players, including Wambach, have been voicing their objections since the bid was accepted. They sent a letter to FIFA and the CSA in July, saying they were prepared to take legal action.

Since then, there has been growing support for the women on social media, with celebrities including actor Tom Hanks and NBA star Kobe Bryant joining the cause. Tim Howard, the goalkeeper for the U.S. men's team, also voiced his support on Twitter.

The players have said they will not boycott the World Cup matches, which will be played in six Canadian cities.

Many players believe that FIFA and the CSA could cover the six fields with turf. Natural grass was rolled onto the artificial surface at Michigan's Big House this summer for a match between Manchester United and Real Madrid.

It's not ideal, they say, but it is better than the alternative.

"Is it going to cost them a little bit of money? Yeah. Maybe a drop in the bucket for FIFA for the amount of money that they have," U.S. player Megan Rapinoe said last month. "It just seems like they're kind of like, ‘Oh, yeah, whatever, this is just what you're going to have.’ When there's an alternative option, that's frustrating."

Wire services