US women's soccer squad appeal after judge dismisses equal pay claim
The US women's soccer team have filed an appeal against a district court that dismissed their bid for equal pay.
Last week Judge Gary Klausner rejected the claim that they were underpaid compared to the US men's side, who failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup.
Spokeswoman Molly Levinson confirmed that the women's squad submitted their appeal on Friday.
She said: "Equal pay means paying women players the same rate for winning a game as men get paid.
“The argument that women are paid enough if they make close to the same amount as men while winning more than twice as often is not equal pay.”
The lawsuit was initially filed by 28 of the female players against the US Soccer Federation last year, who were seeking $66 million in damages under the Equal Pay Act.
Klausner said that the squad had been paid 'more on both a cumulative and an average per-game basis than the men's team over the class period'.
But the four-time World Cup winners are still willing to challenge the ruling.
Klausner's ruling does however allow players' claims that they don't receive equal treatment to their male counterparts when it comes to training, housing and medical support to go to trial next month.
He said: “To US Soccer: equal pay, now. Or else when I'm president, you can go elsewhere for World Cup funding.”
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