12 March 2020

US soccer stars Ali Krieger and Christen Press explain shirt protest at SheBelieves Cup

US soccer players Ali Krieger and Christen Press have commented on the team's protest at the SheBelieves Cup.

The team won the tournament after they beat Japan 3-1 but during the pre-match training and the national anthems the squad turned their shirts inside out to hide the badge of the US soccer federation.

This was a response to US Soccer claiming that the men's side are more skilful than them. The governing body made the comments in a deposition relating to the players' gender discrimination lawsuit against them.

Krieger wrote on Twitter: "We wanted to stand together as a team and make a statement on behalf of all women and girls that the federation's comments are unacceptable. 

"We love this sport and this country, and we cannot stand for this misogynistic treatment."

Press took to Instagram to share her thoughts, saying: "It is the great honor of my life to play this sport and represent this country. Yesterday, we stood together as a team to make a statement on behalf of all women and girls that the federation’s comments are unacceptable. We cannot stand for this discriminatory treatment and rhetoric.

"Every woman deserves equal pay and every institution anywhere that doesn’t value women as much as much as men must change now."

The trial is due to take place in May,  just before the Olympics this summer.

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