As usual, national soccer goalkeeper Almuth Schult speaks in Focus on Sport about the situation in women’s soccer. When it comes to the upcoming World Cup, she also shows a clear edge and criticizes FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
The 32-year-old, who is expecting her third child in August, sees a clear difference from the time before the European Women’s Soccer Championship last year, which triggered a real boom in women’s soccer. “The EM clearly made a difference when you look at the number of spectators in the premier league,” said Schult. “In the women’s Bundesliga, the average has never been like this, and there have never been so many highlight games, and not just at the top clubs. I hope it stays that way in the long term.”
German championship for women is decided
After VfL Wolfsburg’s 4-0 defeat at Eintracht Frankfurt this weekend, Schult considers the German women’s championship to be decided. “Bayern won’t let that go by. It has to be the championship for Bayern now,” she is certain. “As far as her ex-club VfL Wolfsburg is concerned, she is disappointed: “Anyone who suffers three defeats in the second half of the season doesn’t deserve it either.”
professional Working is not yet possible in all clubs
But back to the situation of women’s football: There are still only a few clubs in the women’s Bundesliga where professional work is also possible for the women’s teams. It’s about “that you can train under the same conditions” (like the men, ed.). “The teams have to have their own training ground, their own cabin. That’s the basis for being able to work professionally as an athlete.” A weight room is also standard nowadays, if only to prevent injuries and to be able to increase performance individually.
As far as the recurring demand for “equal pay” is concerned, Schult sees it in a similar way to her national team colleague Alexandra Popp. “We’re happy when every player earns enough money that she doesn’t have to work part-time. So far, that’s only been the case in two or at most three clubs in the top division.”
WM: TV contracts are negotiated “significantly too late”.
Schult sees the smoldering dispute between FIFA and some countries regarding the purchase of broadcasting rights for the upcoming women’s World Cup as “the truth somewhere in the middle”: “FIFA has started a process to sell TV rights, and that’s six and a half months before the tournament. That’s clearly too late.” But the other side isn’t doing everything right either: “If you believe the rumors that it’s five million euros and compare that to the 200 million that were last paid for the men’s and women’s World Cup together, then the value is too somewhat unequal in numbers.”
Schult doesn’t believe that FIFA is really willing to talk at the moment. She suspects there are deeper reasons, because FIFA “wasn’t too fond of how Germany presented itself in Qatar”. In the direction of Gianni Infantino, it then becomes clear: “The worst and most immoral thing for me is to start the process at such short notice.” And further: “I cannot understand Infantino’s sermons about respect because that is disrespectful and not appropriate to the value that this sport has.”
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Source: Blickpunkt Sport 05/14/2023 – 9:50 p.m
