1999 womens world cup final

LYON, France: The run to the World Cup final by the United States women's team has boosted their campaign for equal pay, but it should not have to be the responsibility of the players to force through change, former international Kristine Lilly said this week.Lilly, a pioneer of women's soccer who won two world titles and two Olympic golds in a 23-year playing career, was part of the 1999 World Cup winning side on home soil which raised the profile of the women's game in the U.S.The American team has continued to dominate, going for a record-extending fourth World Cup in Sunday's final against the Netherlands.However, simmering in the background has been a lawsuit brought by the players against the U.S. Soccer Federation for being paid less than their male counterparts, despite superior performances.All 28 members of the defending World Cup squad were named as plaintiffs in the lawsuit against U.S. Soccer filed in March.And Lilly told Reuters on the fringes of an equality conference in … [Read more...] about World Cup players shouldn’t have fight for equal pay

PARIS: Host nation France crushed South Korea 4-0 in the opening game of the women’s World Cup on Friday, leaving former winners Germany with plenty to live up to as they prepare to launch their campaign. It was a fine start to a tournament that has been billed as the biggest yet for the women’s game, with a sell-out crowd of more than 45,000 filling the Parc des Princes in Paris and celebrating a rampant French victory. Les Bleues are among the favourites to win the trophy on home soil and they showed no mercy to the Koreans, with the prolific Eugenie Le Sommer giving them an early lead and defender Wendie Renard – the tournament’s tallest player – twice heading home before the interval. Captain Amandine Henry, impressive throughout, wrapped up the win late on in the Group A encounter, watched by French President Emmanuel Macron and FIFA chief Gianni Infantino. Infantino has promised the month-long tournament will see the “explosion” of the … [Read more...] about France enjoy dream start as women’s World Cup kicks off

Sport It was all bleu, blanc and rouge in western Paris as a packed Parc des Princes celebrated the women's World Cup kick off in enthusiastic fashion with hosts France playing South Korea in the opening game on Friday. 08 Jun 2019 03:55AM Bookmark PARIS: It was all bleu, blanc and rouge in western Paris as a packed Parc des Princes celebrated the women's World Cup kick off in enthusiastic fashion with hosts France playing South Korea in the opening game on Friday.Long queues formed around the 47,000 seater stadium, home to Ligue 1 champions Paris St Germain, hours before the start of the Group A game which was a stone's throw from Roland Garros where the French Open tennis is being played until Sunday.Families were gathering around the stadium gates, waiting for their turn to enter and attend the short opening ceremony with French singer Jain performing her song 'Makeba'.The usual security measures were in place in a city that suffered co-ordinated Islamic State attacks on … [Read more...] about Blue, white and red Paris celebrates women’s World Cup kick off

PARIS: The pressure is on France as they kick off the Women's World Cup against South Korea on Jun 7, but while the Koreans, Norwegians and Nigerians are all potentially tricky opponents for the hosts, the format of the group stage leaves them some room to manoeuvre.The first round will eliminate just eight teams of the 24 teams, with the top two finishers in each of the six groups advancing along with four best third-place teams.Here AFP, looks at the contenders in groups A, B and C:Group AFrance (World Ranking: Number 4), Norway (No 12), South Korea (No 14), Nigeria (No 38)Hosts France start as one of the tournament favourites, as the backbone of the starting XI play for Lyon, the dominant team in European club football. Sarah Bouhaddi is described by team-mates as "the best goalkeeper in the world", central defender Wendie Renard captains Lyon while defensive midfielder Amandine Henri captains France. Striker Eugenie Le Sommer has scored 74 goals for the national … [Read more...] about Women’s World Cup: Profiles of Groups A, B and C

BEIJING: China’s Women’s World Cup football team swapped the training pitch for the classroom to beef up their political knowledge and reinforce their dedication to the communist-ruled country. In a step that is unlikely to be replicated by their rivals at next month’s tournament in France, the whole squad sat down for a series of lectures dubbed “Motherland in My Heart”. Whether it helps China beat European heavyweights Germany in their World Cup opener on June 8 is debatable, but captain Wu Haiyan said: “Patriotic education is of great significance to us who are going to play for our country.” The Chinese Football Association (CFA), the governing body, hailed it as essential preparation to face the world’s best football teams. During the class on Monday in Beijing, Professor Wen Jing from Beijing Normal University spoke at length to all the players and coaches. They studied China’s constitution and laws, which “made the … [Read more...] about China undergo ‘patriotic education’ to win Women’s World Cup