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2023 FIFA Women's World Cup |
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There were various controversies relating to the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup; such issues predominantly saw figures within women's football negatively responding to decisions undertaken by FIFA, the world governing body of football, as well as players from several nations taking collective action against their national football associations. Concerns were particularly raised where decisions would clash with LGBT+ rights, something FIFA have acknowledged women's footballers are passionate about, as well as on player welfare and pay. There were also other team-specific issues.
Women's football journalist Suzanne Wrack noted that the types of controversial issues at the Women's World Cup were different to those of the Men's World Cup, and were mainly issues related to the gender gap in professionalism of football;[1] she opined that the 2023 Women's World Cup and the controversies surrounding it were deeply connected, that the on-pitch performances would reflect the progress, or not, made with the off-pitch issues, a situation she described as "fascinating".[2] Sky Sports noted the breadth of the issues, that similar issues affected teams with different backgrounds from all over the world, even if there was greater focus on the "star-heavy" European teams.[3] Some of these issues becoming public controversies ahead of the Women's World Cup was attributed to women's players being vocal about their concerns, due to typically having to advocate for themselves in the sport,[3][4] with TIME explaining that "female players, it seems, never have the luxury of just sticking to sports".[4]