The United States Soccer Federation (US Soccer) has agreed to pay the women's national team at the same level as the men's team in an agreement with a group of players, including star Megan Rapinoe, who had sued, the two parties announced in a joint statement on Tuesday.
"US Soccer is committed to paying equal salary from now on for the women's and men's national teams in all friendlies and tournaments, including the World Cup", detail the terms of the transmitted agreement. at AFP.
Twenty-eight players from the United States women's national team, world champion in France in 2019, had filed a class action lawsuit against the discriminatory policy of the American Football Federation.
The agreement should put an end to the lawsuits initiated by this group of players and concerns a total of 24 million dollars, of which 22 million distributed according to a mode proposed by the players of the women's national team.
"When you win, everyone wins," reacted Megan Rapinoe, on twitter.
When we win, everyone wins!
— Megan Rapinoe (@mPinoe) February 22, 2022
The application of the terms of the agreement will be dependent on the ratification of a collective agreement between the players of the national team and the Federation.
US Soccer president Cindy Parlow Cone, herself a former international, said in September she hoped to "harmonize" World Cup bonuses for the US men's and women's teams, in order to settle the dispute between the body and the players. of the national team.
The issue of these bonuses was an important part of the lawsuit brought by the American women's team in 2019, and notably brought by star Megan Rapinoe, accusing the Federation of "stubbornly refusing" to pay its players fairly.
