The Spanish Revolution

30th Aug 2023 

I'm still feeling quite sick by the fact that England didn't win, but despite defending their play, their subs, their efforts, the truth is starting to sink in that they were just beaten by the better team...Certainly in the first half anyway. But, that's the thing about these lionesses, I and many many millions like me will defend them no matter what because as it turns out, more and more people are falling in love with them each and every game. 

The World Cup opened many eyes to the incredible spectacle that is the women's game, not just their technical abilities, strength, determination and skills but also their sportsmanship, this sisterhood that despite crunching in with some pretty heavy challenges, at the end of the games there was mainly real warmth towards one another as they picked each other up from the pitch and winners consoled losers. It represented so much about the women's game that I, and many like me, love. And this sisterhood has been more evident to see after the bizarre and unexpected events of the final, when after the whistle blew the President of the Spanish FA Luis Rubiales forcefully kissed Spanish number 10 Jenni Hermoso. If you're reading this then you're probably familiar with what happened and how, instead of humbly apologising for his unwanted and horribly misplaced conduct, he decided to metaphorically set his own house on fire. And to those saying "it was just a kiss" it really wasn't, it was the tip of a dangerously top heavy iceberg of what this Spanish team have had to go through over the past few years.  

The outpouring from the women's footballing community has been immense, this sisterhood that we saw after the games on the pitch, and that we regularly see supporting each other on social media, quickly rallied to stand behind Jenni Hermoso...Well most of them did it quickly, it took some teams a bit of time (ahem...Germany) but not as long as it appears to be taking UEFA - at the time of writing this they have seemingly not responded to the continuously unfolding and really quite peculiar series of events. But then is that a surprise? Rubiales is the Vice President of UEFA after all. Maybe it's easier for UEFA to let FIFA take the lead on all of this like a younger sibling hiding behind the trouser leg of the eldest child as they deal with the school bully. 

Anyway, back to the women. What I keep hearing is "is this a turning point?" not just in reference to the enormity of the recent World Cup - of which I read nearly every day about records it's broken, but will this be a turning point for women and for women's football? Well, I hope so. This Spanish team are full of the worlds best, most of them play for Barca, the best club team in the world (and if you contest that then you are an idiot) - where they seem to be treated with so much more respect than when they place for Spain. This team is incredible, they have faced unbelievable challenges that simply would never happen in the men's game, they have overcome so much so lets hope it really is a turning point, lets hope real change is coming - but it really shouldn't take them winning and a televised sexual assault for them to have been heard. 

The truth is that nearly every team at the WC has a story of injustice, discrimination or abuse and is fighting for something. From our well respected and well funded (compared to other teams) lionesses fighting the English FA for the bonuses they deserve to the Zambians fighting not be be sexually assaulted by their coach! But what is the answer? Women's sport has always been expected to just fit into the male sport shaped mould, in nearly every professional sport men shaped the rules simply because women were often not allowed to participate, they shaped the governing bodies and, in most cases, they still dictate how the are run. So maybe for real change to happen it's time for us to start from scratch, perhaps that cretin Rubiales has inadvertently and accidentally got it right in that for a complete rebuild to happen, for real change, maybe we all just need to set fire to all of our houses?