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Icelandic soccer player Sara Björk Gunnarsdóttir
Photo: IMAGO/Sven Beyrich/SPP / IMAGO/Sports Press Photo
Icelandic international Sara Björk Gunnarsdóttir has called planners for the 2022 European Championship in England "disrespectful of women's football".
In her criticism, which she voiced on the football podcast Their Pitch, she referred to the decision to play the Icelandic women's games at the Manchester City Academy stadium.
The stadium where Manchester City women play their matches is the smallest in the tournament with 7000 seats (see all tournament stadiums here).
Three group games are to be played here, including Iceland's games against Belgium and Italy.
Gunnarsdóttir said she was "a little disappointed".
You're in England, where there are so many stadiums, "and we're playing on a City training ground."
Referring to the recent sell-out Barcelona vs Real Madrid game with a historic crowd of 91,533 fans, Gunnarsdóttir said that the organizers “apparently aren't prepared for us to sell more than 4,000 tickets.
It's just embarrassing and disrespectful to women's football today, which is so much bigger than people think."
"I have no idea what's going on in their heads"
Sales figures for the European Championship games were only published this Wednesday: Eight games (out of 31) of the summer tournament are already sold out.
Including both of Iceland's duels at Manchester City Academy Stadium.
All of England's group games are also already sold out, including the opening game against Austria at the legendary Old Trafford (75,653 seats) in Manchester on 6 July.
Gunnarsdóttir urged a rethink: "I have no idea what's going on in their heads, or whether they follow women's football at all," said the Olympique Lyon midfielder, adding that "women's football is currently exploding".
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