About fifty professional female soccer player from twelve countries set to appear in the FIFA Women's World Cup Canada 2015 have initiated legal action against world football governing body FIFA and the Canadian Soccer Federation (CSA) for what they say is inequality against them based on their gender.
In an application filed with the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario, the players argue that the "CSA and FIFA's decision to hold the tournament on artificial turf is inherently discriminatory and injures an elite group of female athletes in three significant ways: (1) by forcing them to compete on a surface that fundamentally alters the way the game is played, (2) by subjecting them to unique and serious risks of injury, and (3) by devaluing their dignity, state of mind and self-respect as a result of requiring them to play on a second-class surface before tens of thousands of stadium spectators and a global audience."
In the past both male and female World Cup tournaments have been played on natural grass. However, for unknown reasons FIFA decided to approve the use of artificial turf for the upcoming women's competition in Canada.
Experts say playing on an artificial turf is notably different from playing on a natural one. Among other things, artificial turfs are reported to make the game particularly smooth - this is reportedly why they are preferred by professional teams for training.
FIFA has slowly embraced artificial turfs over the years. In the past, the president of the association Sepp Blatter has praised the endurance of artificial turfs and its importance in facilitating professional soccer games in extreme climates. FIFA has also attempted to regulate the quality of synthetic pitches by introducing the FIFA Quality Control Concept for Football Turf.
It is unclear if the legal action will force FIFA and CSA to postpone the competition until preparations are made for it to be held on natural grass. On Tuesday, FIFA's head of Women's Competition, Tatjana Haenni, told the press after inspecting one of the stadiums where the 2015 Women's World Cup is to be held that the tournament must go on as planned on artificial turfs as there is no back-up plan.
Meanwhile, some athletes have supported FIFA's decision to have the competition on artificial turf. Despite some reservations to them, artificial pitches are widely used in professional male and female club games across the world.
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