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How bad women’s football is treated in South America isn’t a secret for anyone, today i’m doing this thread in order to inform people about everything 
Colombia’s WNT have been through since 2015:
Likes and RTs are appreciated.
Colombia’s WNT have been through since 2015:Likes and RTs are appreciated.
Colombia made history in Canada 2015, becoming the 1st spanish-speaking country to get past the group stage in a world cup, after drawing vs Mexico, beating France 2-0 and losing to England 2-1 in the group stage. Eventually they lost in the round of 16 vs USA 2-0.
By reaching the round of 16, the federation was supposed to pay each one of the players 10 million colombian pesos (2,871 USD). They only payed 7 million to the players, they haven’t payed the 3 million remaining to this day.
Daniela Montoya was the first player who spoke up about this issue, she spoke about how the fed didn’t pay them the 10 million as they agreed to. To “punish her” she didn’t get the call up to play Rio 2016. The fed said it wasn’t a veto, they said it was a technical decision.
The players were always fighting and asking for a professional local league. Finally in 2017, the professional league started, Santa Fe leaded by Leicy Santos, won that league. It looked like a first step to support and invest in women’s football. Until 2019...
After just 2 years of the professional league, the federation decided that now it would be semi professional (non professional) and clubs could only use players under 23 years of age.
Also in 2019, two players (one of them a minor) and the physiotherapist Carolina Rozo of Colombia’s u17 NT, reported about s3xual harassment from head coach Didier Luna and physical trainer Sigifredo Alonso, suffered in training camps previous to the world cup in Uruguay in 2018.
“They treated the girls with excessive affection, they excused themselves as a parental attitude, to justify it. They touched their backs, their backsides, they were too touchy with the girls. He used to tell them: You can kiss me, or are you scared?” Carolina said.
Laura, the older player said the harassment started with constant catcalls: “You look fine, beautiful”. Then it got worse, “I want to have something with you, i can lead you to amazing things in football”. She obviously refused, that’s when work harassment started...
“He overloaded me with work, didn’t let me speak in meetings, yelled at me. Once i asked him if he had a problem and he said it was personal and i had to live with the consequences”. After that she started receiving phone calls threatening her...
“When the allegations were made, one unknown number called me to tell me that i had to be careful because the fed was sending the best people to investigate and in three days they would know it was me who made them” Laura said.
It got even worse when the minor’s dad made a serious allegation: “When my daughter came back, she told me the physical trainer, Sigifredo Alonso, tried to break into her room to s3xually abuse her”. Sigifredo was immediately sacked. On the other hand, after 1 year and 4 months+
Didier Luna was senteced to 2 years and 4 months in prison, he accepted the charges and because the sentence was less than 4 years, he got free and just had to pay 20 minimum wages.
On February 18th 2019, Isabella Echeverri and Melissa Ortiz upoladed this video with the hashtag #menosmiedomasfutbol, reporting some of the bad treatments they’ve been suffering since forever as footballers. https://twitter.com/melissamortiz/status/1097564511769366528
Then on March 7th 2019, some of the most important players in the country did a press conference to inform about everything and to show all the proof they had, there was no more fear about not getting call ups or threats, they just wanted to be heard.
It started with nt captain Natalia Gaitán, reading a letter she sent to the fed in 2012, asking for better conditions to do a good performance in London 2012. The letter was received but completely ignored. https://twitter.com/as_colombia/status/1103685963350532096
Melissa suffered an injury in her achilles tendon before the worldcup, she had to pay for everything, surgery and rehab, more than 15kUSD, the fed finally payed her, but when the last bill for 2674USD arrived, the fed said it wasn’t in her contract so they didn’t had to payfor it
Melissa also speaks about how they gave them used uniforms, men size, how they had to pay for their own tickets to camp, how they hadn’t a training camp in 700 days after London 2012 and 400 days after Rio 2016, no travel allowance when camps were in Colombia. https://twitter.com/as_colombia/status/1103689210610044928
How they had no medical equipment when they were in camp, how they had to buy their own bandages and adhesive tape because they were told they couldn’t give them enough to bandage them every day, how they found the ”gym” vs when the men were in camp: https://twitter.com/melissamortiz/status/1101542190952529920
Then it was Isabella’s turn to speak, starting with the “alternative camps” Felipe Taborda (coach at the time) used to do, he told the players who didn’t made the roster to pay him 1’200.000 pesos, and they could come and train with them to “prove themselves”.
After it, the players presented a couple of audios where Alvaro Gonzalez, federation’s Vice President, we can hear him say if Daniela Montoya gets the call up for Rio 2016, they would sack coach Felipe immediately. Obviously it wasn’t a technical decision, it was a veto. https://twitter.com/as_colombia/status/1103691233828978690
Before Rio 2016 the federation was telling Daniela to not worry, that she would make the final roster, they were obviously lying to her. Daniela was psychologically damaged when her name wasn’t in the roster, specifically because it was a veto for speaking up. https://twitter.com/as_colombia/status/1103693469443330048
Isabella also mentions how the fed threatened her for this tweet, they told her to delete it and she refused. They told her “remember what happened to Daniela Montoya”, making it clear she would stop getting call ups.
The players politely asked to keep the league in a professional level, they said, before asking to host the World Cup in 2023 we need to strengthen the local league in every aspect. “There’s money but they don’t want to invest it in us” Yoreli Rincón said in this video. https://twitter.com/eduardopitaos/status/1103455126084378624
Yoreli hasn’t been included in any of the rosters ever since.
Also, the players always had to return the training kits and match kits when leaving camp, after big tournaments, once someone told them that if they wanted to keep the shirt, they would have to pay 100USD, they were just 19-20 years old.
After the press conference Alvaro Gonzalez said the players’ allegations were without funding because they knew they wouldn’t get call ups anymore, he said players older than 25yo wouldn’t make the roster. Ending the senior squad.
Finally after lots of talks, the league kept going as professional league, and all the hard work paid off 
the national team won the Panamerican Games, without support they went and did amazing things.
the national team won the Panamerican Games, without support they went and did amazing things.
Sadly they had to wait 1 year and 5 months for a training camp, they were playing two friendly games against world champions 
, without our most important players, since it wasn’t a fifa break, the european clubs weren’t obligated to let the players come.
, without our most important players, since it wasn’t a fifa break, the european clubs weren’t obligated to let the players come.
They travelled without a physical trainer and thanks to private sponsors. They lost both games.
It wouldn’t be a surprise it this was the last training camp until Copa America in 2022, fed doesn’t support them, they just threw the girls to the wolves without preparation
It wouldn’t be a surprise it this was the last training camp until Copa America in 2022, fed doesn’t support them, they just threw the girls to the wolves without preparation
That’s how hard being a professional footballer in South America is, and things like this happen in every single country, Argentina, Chile, even Brazil. So much talent wasted, let’s value South Americans players more, they’ve been through hell.
