Published 17:09 IST, September 3rd 2020
Brazil end gender difference, set to pay women's team as much as the men's team
The Brazil women's team will earn as much as the men's team after CBF announced the changes on Thursday, becoming just the fourth nation to announce equal pay.
- SportFit
- 2 min read
In a major move on Thursday, the Brazilian football federation announced that the Brazil women's team will receive equal pay as their male counterparts. The Selecao join Australia, New Zealand and Norway in changing their stance regarding equal pay to both national teams. The move means that Marta, widely regarded as one of the greatest female footballers ever, will bag the same salary as Brazil football team stars Neymar, Phillippe Coutinho and Roberto Firmino.
Brazil football team: Brazil equal pay for men and women's team aimed at ending gender difference
Speaking on the Brazil equal pay announcement, Selecao president Rogerio Caboclo said that since March 2020, the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) had equalled the prize money and allowances made to the Brazil football team for both men and women. Along with the removal of gender difference in the pay scale, the CBF announced the hiring of two new women's football coordinators, Duda Luizelli and Aline Pellegrino, according to Forbes. The changes will be applied to the Brazilian football teams participating in the Tokyo Olympics next year as well as the upcoming World Cup tournaments. Caboclo said that the rise in pay will be proportional to what FIFA proposes for women, which means that there will be no more gender difference in remuneration between men and women in the Brazil football team.
The Brazil equal pay move comes a year after Marta made an emotional rallying cry to the next generation of the Brazil women's team during the 2019 World Cup. Speaking after scoring her record-breaking World Cup goal against Italy, the Brazilian legend said that they were trying to represent women and show how women can play any role and how it is not about sport. She added that the future of women's football depends on the upcoming generation to survive.
In 2019, defending champions United States Women's National Team (USWNT) sued their federation over pay equality, with 28 players complaining of 'institutionalised gender discrimination'. The USWNT players sought $66m (£53m) in damages under the Equal Pay Act from the US Soccer Association. The case was, however, dismissed. The USWNT has appealed the outcome, in what has been a public and bitter battle with the US Soccer Association.
(Image Courtesy: CBF Futebol Twitter)
Updated 17:09 IST, September 3rd 2020
