The England women’s national team are disappointed and frustrated with the Football Association (FA) after talks regarding performance-based bonuses broke down, according to the Guardian.
Considered one of the favourites for the biggest prize in women’s football, the Lionesses are preparing to launch a quest for global glory when the World Cup tournament kicks off in Australia and New Zealand.
However, barely a month until their opening fixture against Haiti, the reigning European champions have learned they will not receive performance-related bonuses.
The FA’s decision comes after FIFA introduced individual fees for every federation involved in its showpiece event that can be distributed as each organisation sees fit.
FIFA’s guaranteed compensation for players will see individuals at the tournament take home at least $30,000, with that figure rising throughout the competition to $270,000 for the eventual winners.
However, the England players believe that the FA is using FIFA’s recent declaration as an excuse not to offer additional rewards.
The FA considers the money allocated to the Lionesses to be coming from the same pot they would use to pay the players, and FIFA had only specified the amount that should go to the team.
However, the overall pot of money available to each governing body has also risen from $30 million to $110m, and England feel there should be a greater reward for on-field success rather than just the basic package from FIFA.
The Lionesses were reportedly made to believe the FA would allocate the bonuses, which they believe to be a reasonable request, only for the federation to become unwilling to negotiate following FIFA’s announcement.
It is understood that several other federations, including the United States, have collective bargaining agreements in place that allow players to receive bonuses in addition to any FIFA payments.
The Lionesses are disappointed that the FA is not taking a similar stance, although each player has already been awarded £10,000 to help with travel costs for family and friends.
