December 12 – The Slovenian women’s national team has achieved equal pay with the country’s men’s team, Fifpro said on Wednesday.
It follows a prolonged battle with the Slovenian FA (NZS) that reached a boiling point earlier this year with accusations of chauvinism and discrimination made against the coaching staff and NZS.
In a statement, the world players union said that the agreement with the local governing body grants the women’s team “working conditions and pay equal to those of the men’s national team’ as the result of an almost four-year push by the players and their union.”
In an open letter this summer the women’s team detailed their bad treatment as well as accusations of sexist and discriminatory behaviour by the coaching staff.
The team called for an across-the-board improvement in working conditions and treatment (they were once told by staff that they played “like wld pigs”) and threatened a strike ahead of the Nations League matches in September. Manager Borut Jarc departed but the NZS still has work to do on providing better working conditions.
“We are confident that levelling the playing field for the national team will positively benefit the development of this team and the ones that will follow. Equal treatment of women and men should be a given in today’s society,” said Lara Prasnikar, co-captain of the national team.
In the recent Nations League, Slovenia finished third on six points in their group in League B, behind the Czech Republic and Bosnia & Herzegovina. They defeated Bosnia at home and drew away. They also got two points from drawn home and away against Belarus.
“Having achieved this important milestone, the first Fifpro member in Central and Eastern Europe to do so, we are also aware that there is still is a long way to go before women’s players in Slovenia enjoy the same level playing field as the men’s players,” said the chairman of the Slovenian players union Dejan Stefanovic.
“But we will continue working closely with the players to arrange that their treatment is improved and follows global trends.”
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