The US women's national team (USWNT) has stepped-up its battle with the US Soccer Federation for equal pay and working conditions by filing a gender discrimination lawsuit against the governing body.
All 28 members of the current squad, including star players Carli Lloyd, Megan Rapinoe and Alex Morgan, have filed the lawsuit in Los Angeles, citing “institutionalised gender discrimination”.
This continues action taken by some members of the USWNT several years ago, led by goalkeeper Hope Solo, on pay and working conditions. This new lawsuit also encompasses any players who have played with the team since February 2015.
It is the latest lawsuit that US Soccer is facing, following actions filed by the North American Soccer League (NASL) and the US Soccer Foundation.
Last October the FIFA Council approved an overall financial contribution of USD$50 million to the 24 teams playing in this year's women's World Cup – more than tripling the $15 million paid in 2015. This figure will consist of $30 million in prize money, the introduction of almost USD$12 million in preparation to support the qualified teams in organising preparatory matches and $8.5 million in payments to clubs to release players for the competition.
The men’s World Cup has seen a 12 per cent rise in prize money, taking the overall pot to $400 million, which means the men and women’s events have a gender pay gap of $370m.
Further increases in the prize money for the women's World Cup are set to be discussed by the FIFA Council next week.