The funds have been made available via FIFA’s Club Benefits Programme (CBP), which was introduced for the first time ahead of the FIFA Women’s World Cup France 2019 to recognise the fundamental role that clubs play in developing players. The total amount committed to clubs that released and/or trained the stars of women’s football rose to USD 11.3m for the 2023 edition of the FIFA Women’s World Cup from USD 8.48m four years earlier.

The increase in funding was an important part of FIFA’s USD 152m total package for participants for the tournament, and was a central element of the USD 499m that FIFA invested in the organisation of last year’s showpiece.

Nearly two million fans at the tournament’s ten stadiums – and two billion following around the world – witnessed a new standard of women’s football at last year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup, and now the clubs that played integral roles in shaping the talents of all 736 players at the tournament are to be rewarded.

“Strong clubs are crucial to the growth of women’s football, so distributing funding to over 1,000 clubs that have been instrumental in developing the world’s top female footballers is just one way that FIFA can offer its support,” said FIFA President Gianni Infantino. “What’s truly unique about this programme is that FIFA does not only reward the clubs that released the players for the tournament, but also the clubs that have contributed to each player’s development between the ages of 12 and 22.

“This model ensures that crucial funding – as well as the incentive for clubs to provide the best possible training and environment for female talent – reaches every part of the global football ecosystem, benefiting grassroots and professional clubs.”

The number of clubs that were identified by FIFA as eligible to receive payments via the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 CBP increased by 219 clubs from 822 in 2019 to 1,041 in 2023. Positively, the number of clubs across FIFA’s Member Associations also increased from 39 in 2019 to 48 in 2023.

Each club’s share has been determined by the role that they played in a player’s development or participation in the tournament, either as a releasing club, a training club, or both.

Each eligible releasing club will receive an equal amount per player per day at the tournament, counting from the beginning of the release period (10 July 2023) and finishing the day following the last match of the player’s national team at the tournament.

Each training club will receive an amount based on the number of training periods the player spent at the club between ages 12 and 22, with each year consisting of a maximum of two training periods. The number of days that the player spent at the tournament is also factored in, however the number of minutes played by a player in any given match at the tournament is irrelevant, with all players treated equally based on the number of days that they were at the tournament.

Credit: FIFA

Rubiales grabbed Hermoso’s head and kissed her on the lips during the medal ceremony following Spain’s 1-0 win over England in the World Cup final. It sparked global outrage and raised vital questions about the gender inequalities that still exist in sports and beyond, despite a great deal of progress that has been achieved so far.

TRANSGENDER DEBATE

Meanwhile the debate about the participation of transgender athletes in women sports has continued to grow, with more international sports federations rolling out rules that prohibit athletes who have gone through “male puberty” from participating in top level women competitions.

Some governing bodies, like World Aquatics, even introduced an “open” category. However, World Aquatics said it received no entries for the Open Category competitions at the World Aquatics Swimming World Cup – Berlin 2023 meet which took place in October last year.

PANEL DISCUSSION

There will be a panel discussion on the topic: Championing gender equality, diversity and inclusion through the sport media, during the AIPS Centenary Congress in Santa Susanna, Spain.

This session will be spearheaded by AIPS’ two female vice-presidents Evelyn Watta from Kenya and Zsuzsa Csisztu from Hungary. Both pioneers in their own rights, Watta and Csisztu are strong advocates for women empowerment in sports and sports journalism.

NAWAL EL MOUTAWAKEL

Also confirmed to join this panel discussion is athletics legend Nawal El Moutawakel, who made history in 1984 as the first Moroccan, African and Muslim woman to win an Olympic gold medal. She won the inaugural women’s 400 metres hurdles event at the 1984 Summer Olympics.

She has been an IOC member since 1998 and in 2007 was named the Minister of Sports in Morocco. Nawal is a role model who continues to fight for better conditions for women in sports.

Credit: AIPS Media 

Qualifiers for the Women’s Olympic Football Tournament Paris 2024 and UEFA Women’s Nations League games were on the agenda for European teams. Nations in the AFC, CAF and Concacaf zones, meanwhile, were involved in qualifying matches for their respective continental tournaments, with OFC representatives – with the exception of Aotearoa New Zealand – competing at the Pacific Games.

This plethora of events inevitably had an impact on December’s FIFA/Coca-Cola Women’s World Ranking, the last of 2023.

Consequently, reigning world champions Spain (1st) claimed top spot for the first time. They are the fourth team in football history to reach the coveted position, after the USA (2nd, up 1), Germany and Sweden. France (3rd, up 2) make up the podium.

England (4th, -) remain just below those three highflyers, ahead of previous leaders Sweden (5th, down 4). Germany (6th), the Netherlands (7th), Japan (8th), Korea DPR (9th) and Canada (10th) complete the top ten, which no longer features Brazil (11th, down 2).

As for the remainder of the top 50, Italy (14th, up 3), Philippines (38th, up 6) and Uzbekistan (47th, up 3) made noteworthy advances. The biggest moves came further down the standings, however, where Congo DR (102nd, up 9), El Salvador (104th, up 11) and Namibia (126th, up 14) all made considerable progress.

In addition to La Roja, Philippines, Haiti (51st), Cambodia (116th) and Cabo Verde (131st) attained their highest-ever placings.

Six nations either appear for the first time (Central African Republic and Macau) or reappear (Korea DPR, American Samoa, Madagascar and Bahamas) in the World Ranking, which brings the number of teams listed to 192 – a new record! And with six other national sides just one match away from joining, it could grow even further in March.

The next FIFA/Coca-Cola Women’s World Ranking will be published in March 2024.

Click  HERE  to view the complete ranking.

Leaders Spain
Moves into top 10 Korea DPR (9th)
Moves out of top 10 Brazil (11th)
Matches played in total 419
Most matches played Botswana, China PR, Chinese Taipei, Korea DPR, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia (9 matches)
Biggest move by points Tanzania (up 68.24 points)
Biggest move by ranks Namibia (up 14 ranks)
Biggest drop by points Sweden (down 71.08 points)
Biggest drop by ranks Cayman Islands (down 14 ranks)
Newly ranked teams 6 (Korea DPR, Central African Republic, American Samoa, Macau, Madagascar, Bahamas)
Teams that are no longer ranked None

Credit: FIFA

Luis Rubiales’ conduct at the Aug. 20 final in Australia — and his defiant refusal to resign as Spanish soccer federation president for three weeks — distracted many people from the women’s career-defining title win.

Rubiales is now barred from working in soccer until after the men’s 2026 World Cup. His ban will expire before the next women’s tournament in 2027.

Spanish authorities have launched a criminal investigation against Rubiales for kissing Jenni Hermoso on the lips after the team’s 1-0 victory over England in Sydney, and his conduct in the fallout from the scandal.

Spanish prosecutors have formally accused Rubiales of sexual assault and coercion. Hermoso said that Rubiales pressured her to speak out in his defense amid the global furor.

Rubiales denied wrongdoing to a judge in Madrid who imposed a restraining order for him not to contact Hermoso, the record goal scorer for the Spain women’s team.

FIFA has said it was investigating whether Rubiales violated “basic rules of decent conduct” and “behaving in a way that brings the sport of football and/or FIFA into disrepute.”

Two players, Barcelona teammates Patri Guijarro and Mapi León, opted to leave the training camp in the eastern city of Valencia after receiving guarantees from the government that they would not be sanctioned, with the rest staying after being told that some of their demands for reform would be met.

The players reported to camp on Tuesday after being picked by new coach Montse Tomé against their will the day before in the latest twist in the crisis that has engulfed Spanish soccer since former federation president Luis Rubiales kissed player Jenni Hermoso on the lips during the awards ceremony following Spain’s Women’s World Cup title in Australia last month.

They had been in open rebellion for more than three weeks, ever since the players said on Aug. 25 that they would not play again for their country until the federation had new leadership. After Rubiales stepped down, the players still refused to come back until federation underwent thorough reform.

Two-time Ballon d’Or winner Alexia Putellas was among the majority who stayed. Even so, during practice in Valencia she told reporters that “I don’t feel great about being here.”

Although no specifics of the agreement were immediately announced following the meeting that concluded at nearly 5 a.m. on Wednesday, the federation took only a few hours before announcing that its secretary general, Andreu Camps, was being relieved of his duties. Camps was considered to be close to Rubiales, and his removal had been one of the changes demanded by the players.

The president of the FUTPRO players’ union, Amanda Gutiérrez, said steps had been made toward establishing the same treatment for Spain’s women’s and men’s national teams.

“An agreement has been reached to make changes to the structure of women’s soccer, so that the executive and administrative staff will match that of the men’s team, to further professionalize the team and staff,” Gutiérrez said.

Víctor Francos, Spain’s Secretary for Sports and president of the Higher Council for Sports, said the “cordial meetings” led to the creation of a committee involving players, the federation and the government. He said the agreements should promote advances in gender policies and equal pay, as well as lead to structural changes in women’s soccer.

Another step taken by the federation was the elimination of the term “de fútbol femenino,” “women’s soccer,” from the name of the team. The federation said in a statement that both the men’s and women’s national teams would officially be known as “Selección Española de Fútbol,” or “Spain’s national soccer team.”

“More than a symbolic change, we want this to represent a conceptual shift, and recognition that soccer is soccer, regardless of who plays it,” Pedro Rocha, the federation’s interim president, said in the statement.

Among the demands by the players was to have Rocha, who took over after Rubiales’ resignation, to also step down.

León and Guijarro have not played for Spain since they formed part of a player revolt by 15 team members last year when they refused to play for the national team until the federation established a more “professional” working environment, in what turned out to be prequel to the current uprising.

“The situation for Patri (Guijarro) and me is different from our teammates,” León said when leaving the team. “This was not the proper way to come back (to the team). We were not ready to just say, OK, we are back. This is a process. (However) it is true that we are happy that changes are being made.”

Spain’s acting Minister for Culture and Sports, Miquel Iceta, said he was hopeful the expected reforms by the federation would create an environment in which “the players truly feel motivated, comfortable and happy to play and to win.”

Iceta said the federation plans to hold early elections in the first months of 2024.

“We hope that that the renewal of the federation will be a turning point,” Iceta said.

A few days ago, the Prosecutor’s Office, which will file a complaint against Rubiales, told Hermoso that she could file a lawsuit against the president of the RFEF as the kiss could constitute a crime of sexual assault.

The presentation of the complaint took place on Tuesday at the headquarters of the State Attorney General’s Office located in Madrid, according to the EFE Agency.

Dismissal of Jorge Vilda

The complaint against Rubiales was filed on the same day that the RFEF dismissed Jorge Vilda as sports director and women’s national team coachand announced Montse Tomé as his replacement.

“After everything I have achieved, to leave my role, I have a clear conscience. I have given 100% and I do not understand it, I did not see my dismissal as deserved,” said the former coach.

The institution made the decision after Vilda applauded Rubiales after the speech given by the president of the RFEF in which he refused to resign. Rubiales also assured that the kiss with Jennifer Hermoso was given with the consent of the player.

Credit: Voz US

The Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) announced this decision on Tuesday, amid the ongoing Luis Rubiales kiss scandal, which has overshadowed Spain’s historic feat for more than two weeks now. The now-suspended RFEF president kissed forward Jenni Hermoso on the lips during the medal ceremony of the Women’s World Cup final on August 20 and claimed it was consensual, but Hermoso has insisted it wasn’t.

Sacking Vilda, according to the RFEF is “one of the first measures of restructuring announced by interim President Pedro Rocha”.

APPRECIATION

“The RFEF appreciates [Vilda’s] work at the head of the national team and in his functions as the head of sports for the women’s teams, as well as the successes achieved during his time crowned with the recent achievement of the World Cup,” the RFEF said in a statement.

“We value his impeccable personal and sporting conduct, being a key piece in the notable growth of women’s football in Spain.”

NEW COACH

The RFEF has named Montse Tomé as Vilda’s immediate successor. She becomes the first woman to be appointed to the head coach role. Tomé had been acting as Vilda’s assistant since 2018 and has since “established herself as a key player in the national team’s growth”, according to the RFEF.

Tomé is an ex-player who had a 10-year club career and made four appearances with the women’s national team. Before Vilda there was Ignacio Quereda who was at the helm for 27 years, from 1988 to 2015.

Teodoro Nieto was the women’s national team’s first coach from 1981-1988.

Tomé’s first match in charge of the world champions will be against Sweden on September 22 in the UEFA Women’s Nations League. Spain will then play Switzerland four days later.

PLAYER REVOLT

There was no specific reason given for Vilda’s dismissal, however, the 42-year-old is a close ally of Rubiales and had been under fire since last year when 15 players sent identical emails to the federation calling for his resignation because he had created a “toxic culture” that is affecting their performance and mental health.

At that time Vilda was backed by the federation. After Spain’s victory against England in this year’s World Cup final, the federation posted “VILDA IN” on the platform X, formerly known as Twitter.

Vilda had been in charge of the national team since 2015. He oversaw 108 matches, winning 75, and reached the European Championship quarter-finals in 2017 and 2022.

“HE LEFT A LEGACY” 

The RFEF’s statement added: “The RFEF would like to express its gratitude to Jorge Vilda for the services provided, for his professionalism and dedication during all these years, wishing him the best successes in the future.

“The RFEF is left with an extraordinary sporting legacy thanks to the implementation of a recognised game model and a methodology that has been an engine of growth for all the women’s categories of the national team.”

CRITICISM

The RFEF initially tried to brush off the tsunami of criticism which Rubiales’ inappropriate behaviour unleashed, but failed. Coach Vilda was one of those who applauded Rubiales at the RFEF’s extraordinary general assembly in August when Rubiales shouted repeatedly that he would not resign and said he would offer Vilda a new deal. A day later Vilda criticised Rubiales’ behaviour.

PROTEST

Most of Vilda’s backroom team resigned more than a week ago in protest against the incident. Hermoso and 80 other players, including all the members of Spain’s World Cup-winning team, signed a statement that they will not play for the national team until the current leadership is removed.

Rubiales has been provisionally suspended from all football related activities by FIFA for 90 days while FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee is investigating the incident that “may constitute violations of article 13 paragraphs 1 and 2 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code.”

RFEF APOLOGY 

Earlier on Tuesday, the RFEF offered an apology to “the whole of society and to the whole of the football world”.

A statement said: “The Royal Spanish Football Federation, through its president, Mr. Pedro Rocha, considers it is essential to present the most sincere apologies to the football institutions, the players, especially the players of the Spanish National Football Team and the English National Football Team, stakeholders involved in football and the fans around the world for the totally unacceptable behaviour of its highest institutional representative during the final of the Fifa Women’s World Cup 2023 and in the moments that followed.

“The damage caused to Spanish football, to Spanish sport, to Spanish society and the values ​​of football and sport as a whole have been enormous.

“The RFEF wants to transmit to the whole of society and to the whole of the football world its utmost regret for what happened that has tarnished our team, our football and our society.

“We must apologise most sincerely and make a firm and absolute commitment that events like these can never happen again.”

RUBIALES’ PERFORMANCE NOT ACCEPTABLE

The statement continued: “The performance of Mr. Rubiales both at that moment and in the hours that followed are not acceptable under any circumstances and for this reason the RFEF immediately withdrew from its website all those inappropriate and meaningless communications that did not value what was achieved by the national team and did not take into account the statements by the player about these events.

“To be clear, this position was that of Mr. Rubiales, not that of the RFEF. We feel especially sorry and ashamed for the pain and additional distress this has caused.”

GIVING BACK THE SPOTLIGHT

Rocha added: “I want to congratulate our team once again for its historic triumph, recognising the impact and legacy that this victory will have on the future of Spanish football. We are convinced that their spirit has inspired millions of people of all ages, and we cannot be prouder of the way they have behaved, both inside and off the field of play.

“In due time, I intend to give them back the spotlight and celebrate their achievements as they deserve.”

Credit: AIPS Media

She and the 22 other players of the country’s historic FIFA Women’s World Cup winning squad plus 58 additional players have announced they will not play for the national team as long as current leadership remains.

Since planting a kiss on the lips of Hermoso as she was about to receive her gold medal at Stadium Australia in Sydney, the 46-year-old Rubiales has been facing widespread criticism, increasing calls for his resignation.

He has also been heavily condemned for grabbing his crotch in the VIP area of the stadium after Spain’s 1-0 win over England.

RUBIALES REFUSES TO RESIGN

Rubiales was widely expected to step down at the Royal Spanish Football Federation’s extraordinary general assembly on Friday, but instead he shouted repeatedly “I will not resign”, explaining that: “It was a spontaneous kiss. Mutual, euphoric and consensual. That’s the key. A consensual peck is enough to get me out of here?”

Rubiales claimed he asked Hermoso for consent before kissing her on the lips.

“I NEVER CONSENTED”

Later in the day players’ union FUTPRO released a statement in which Hermoso is quoted as saying: “I want to clarify that, as seen in the footage, I never consented to the kiss he gave me, and of course, I never intended to lift the president in the air.

“I don’t tolerate that my word is distrusted, and even less so, the invention of words I never said.”

PLAYERS ON STRIKE

The statement, signed by 81 players, including all 23 members of the squad which just won the World Cup, added: “After everything that happened during the delivery of medals of the Women’s World Cup, we want to state that all the players who sign this letter will not return to a call for the national team if the current leaders continue.”

SHOCKED AND VULNERABLE

Hermoso’s personal statement came on the heels of the FUTPRO statement, where she revealed that she had been put under “continuous pressure” to provide a public comment that would “justify Mr. Luis Rubiales’ actions”.

The 33-year-old former Barcelona player said she was “shocked” by the incident and it made her feel “vulnerable”.

“I want to make it clear that at no time did the conversation to which Mr. Luis Rubiales refers to in his address take place, and, above all, was his kiss ever consensual. I want to reiterate as I did before that I did not like this incident,” the Mexican club CF Pachuca player stated.

Towards the end of her statement, Hermoso reiterated she will not play for Spain again “as long as the current leaders remain”.

Spain’s next game is against Sweden in the Nations League on September 22.

RFEF RESPONDS

The Spanish football federation has released a statement saying it will take legal action over Hermoso’s “lies” about its president Rubiales.

Hermoso, who is Spain’s leading women’s goalscorer with 51 from 101 appearances, said on Friday: “I feel obliged to report that Mr. Luis Rubiales’ words explaining the unfortunate incident are categorically false and part of the manipulative culture that he himself has generated.”

After insisting she did not consent, the federation, in the early hours of Saturday, tried to provide evidence to discredit her version, especially the part in the FUTPRO statement where she said she never intended to lift the president in the air while they embraced on the podium.

“The evidence is conclusive,” it said. “Mr. President has not lied.”

TAKING LEGAL ACTION

The Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) said: “The RFEF and Mr. President will demonstrate each of the lies that are spread either by someone on behalf of the player or, if applicable, by the player herself.

“The RFEF and the President, given the seriousness of the content of the press release from the Futpro union, will initiate the corresponding legal actions.”

PROVIDING EVIDENCE

The RFEF provided four images of Hermoso’s embrace with Rubiales, with an analysis of each, claiming she applied the force to lift Rubiales’ feet off the ground.

FIFA, football’s world governing body, on Thursday opened disciplinary proceedings against Rubiales.

UEFA, of which he is a vice president, has not made any comment yet, while the Spanish has began legal proceedings seeking to suspend Rubiales.

Credit: AIPS Media

Indeed, La Roja could have even clinched pole position had they not missed out on the 35 points at stake in their heavy 4-0 defeat to Japan in their final group-stage game.

As a result, it is Sweden who sit at the top of the pile for the first time ever (1st, up 2). The Scandinavians dethrone the USA (3rd, down 2), whom they squeezed past in the round of 16 before ultimately being edged out in the semis and then recovering to overcome joint hosts Australia in the match for third place.

As for the Matildas (11th, down 1), they pay the price for their defeat in that tussle for the final podium place and are the only side to drop out of the top ten in this edition of the ranking.

Meanwhile, quarter-finalists Japan (8th, up 3) move in the opposite direction to reclaim their spot amongst the leading pack.

The other movers in the top ten of the global standings are risers the Netherlands (7th, up 2) and fallers Germany (6th, down 4), who failed to progress beyond the group stage for the first time at the finals.

Elsewhere, Canada (10th, down 3) also suffer the consequences of their early exit.

Click  HERE  to view the complete ranking.

The next FIFA/Coca-Cola Women’s World Ranking will be published on 15 December 2023

Leader Sweden (up 2 ranks)
Moves into top 10 1 (Japan – 11 to 8)
Moves out of top 10 1 (Australia – 10 to 11)
Matches played in total 131
Most matches played Spain (9 matches)
Biggest move by points Morocco (up 104.22 points)
Biggest move by ranks Morocco (up 14 ranks)
Biggest drop by points Germany (down 73.89 points)
Biggest drop by ranks Equatorial Guinea (down 9 ranks)
Newly ranked teams None
Teams that are no longer ranked Madagascar, American Samoa

Credit: FIFA

The events may constitute violations of article 13 paragraphs 1 and 2 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code.

The FIFA Disciplinary Committee will only provide further information on these disciplinary proceedings once it has issued a final decision on the matter.

FIFA reiterates its unwavering commitment to respecting the integrity of all individuals and strongly condemns any behaviour to the contrary.

Credit: FIFA