Tens of female soccer players Argentine gathered this Tuesday in Buenos Aires to denounce the lack of minimum conditions to be able to compete and they remembered their partner Juliana Gómez, who died in a road accident when he was returning in a private car after playing a game.
“What brings us together here, unfortunately, is a fact that was going to happen because from this year onwards, clubs from the interior of the country joined the Women’s Third Division. It’s good to travel, but it uncovered a problem that is lack of funds”, explained to EFE, Dina González, a former player of the First Division of women’s soccer.
The former player of Tigre, San Lorenzo and Platense made reference to the case of Juliana Gomezwho passed away on October 8 last during a accident automotive when returned to the province of Buenos Aires –by their own means– after playing a match in the neighboring province of Santa Fe under the jersey of the Argentine team of Merlo.
As Gonzalez described, the Argentine team of Merlo traveled in poor conditions, in private vehicles throughout the night, when they arrived they did not have time to rest, they had to eat “in a hurry”, play and go home.
Currently, the Second and Third categories in some cases do not receive salaries or have “symbolic payments” for their work, this also translates into the “seriousness” with which some clubs take women’s competition.
For her part, Ailen Montiel, current First Division player, told EFE that the accident was the product of the “negligence” of the club.
“You cannot allow your players go to represent your club in private cars, the club must give you the minimum conditions to make a micro (bus) available and provide what is necessary so that one can carry out their work in the best possible way”, he remarked.
During the demonstration, which took place in front of the Argentine Congress, different banners demanded “equal footing” with men’s soccer and “laws that protect the rights” of female players.
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“We are here to ask that the girls from the other categories can have a decent salary and are professionalized, equality for all soccer categories,” added Montiel, a player in the First Division of Women’s Soccer.
In the middle of the closure of the demonstration, the reading of a letter revealed the lack of basic resources, that have been claimed for years, such as being a “dignified” clothing food or medical equipment from the clubs themselves.
“Definitely people trained to be in charge of women’s soccer”, Montiel said.
