A kiss exposed the violence that exists in women's football
Fifteen players from Rosario Central's professional squad reported harassment and discrimination at the club. One of them was dismissed for kissing her partner; the others were placed on leave.
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ARGENTINA, Rosario. Inappropriate comments, mistreatment, threats, excessive demands on their performance, and restrictions on communication. These are some of the actions that led a group of 15 female soccer players from Rosario Central to file a collective complaint against the club with the National Institute Against Discrimination, Xenophobia and Racism ( INADI ).
Days earlier, Maira Sánchez , one of the defenders of the professional team, was dismissed "for kissing another girl" on the sports grounds.
“The complaint we filed is collective. While there are points like mine that stand out, the claim is collective,” Maira emphasizes in a dialogue with Presentes and adds: “We had a lot of mistreatment from the coaching staff and the people in charge of the women's team at Rosario Central.”
A meeting with the club
On November 11, after months of enduring various difficulties, the players called a meeting with the entire coaching staff, the women's football management, the gender equality department, and the club's top officials. Vice President Ricardo Caldoni and the women's football representative, Carla Facchiano, attended the meeting, but no one from the coaching staff was present.
During the meeting, the situations the players had been experiencing were discussed, and Maira's case was highlighted. " The coach had told me I was going to be dropped from the professional squad because a club official told her I couldn't continue at the club because they had seen me kissing a teammate inside the training complex," the former Central defender recounts, adding that at the time, the coach emphasized that she had never failed to do her job.
“She told me it wasn’t her decision, that it was a directive from the club, but she wouldn’t give me the name of the person who gave the order. When we discussed it in the meeting with the club’s vice president, he said he wasn’t aware of it and that he considered it disrespectful,” Maira recalls.
However, it was not decided to reverse the measure.
After listening to all the players' complaints, the management decided to grant leave to those who had signed the letter, but the rest of the team continued training, and the individuals named in the complaint also continued with their usual duties. "They promised to give us a solution before the end of November, but that never happened; they never contacted us again," Maira recalls.
The violence of inaction
The situation became distressing for the players. They were excluded from training, and many were left without answers about their continued participation in the team. In this context, in mid-December, they decided to contact INADI (National Institute Against Discrimination, Xenophobia and Racism) to request mediation and action in the case.
“ Maira’s case is not the only one being reported. It’s part of a series of incidents that have been occurring since the beginning of 2021. Given this context, and understanding that some players were going to be released from their contracts as of December 31st due to all these situations, the decision was made to intervene with INADI (National Institute Against Discrimination, Xenophobia and Racism). It’s a group of current and former players who are reporting a series of instances of discrimination and harassment,” Paula Saini, INADI delegate for Santa Fe, Presentes
Saini acknowledged that what the players experienced were “small situations that, day after day, constitute a situation of harassment, bullying, and discrimination. We understand that these occur because of their gender, but we also appeal to the intersectionality of discrimination. There are too many obstacles within women's football.”
The delegate also acknowledged that Rosario Central is one of the clubs with the longest history in incorporating women's teams and creating a Secretariat of Gender and Diversity , but stressed that the institution's lack of response also constituted a situation of violence towards the players and former players.
For her, the measures adopted by the club have “fundamentally impacted the psychological, moral, and emotional well-being of the players. From that moment on, they don't know what will happen with their contracts or what their relationship with the club will be like in 2022. In fact, there are players who have contracts for another year and they don't know what their situation is either.”
On Tuesday, a meeting was held with club officials who showed a willingness to work with the national agency to find a solution to the problems raised by the players. So far, there has been no concrete progress, and another meeting with the complainants was scheduled.
The club's response
A day after Maira filed a complaint with INADI (National Institute Against Discrimination, Xenophobia and Racism), the club's Gender and Diversity Secretariat issued a statement. They stated: “We wish to express our concern regarding the serious institutional matter that has come to light in recent hours. Upon learning of the complaint of a homophobic incident, the Prevention and Action Protocol for situations of gender-based violence and discrimination was activated to implement the appropriate response.”
Later, she emphasizes her support for Sánchez and the entire team. She also clarifies: “We believe it’s important to stress that pointing the finger at the secretariat and blaming it for all the acts of patriarchal violence that occur at the club is to ignore our role and daily work, which we carry out with tremendous effort. We continue to build this space collectively, a space open to everyone who wants to be a part of it.”
Following her complaint, the player held a meeting with the Undersecretary of Equality Policies, Pilar Escalante, and the Undersecretary of Diversity Policies, Alba Rueda, of the Ministry of Women, Gender and Diversity of the Nation .
Change the rules
Maira and her teammates are closely monitoring the actions of INADI (National Institute Against Discrimination, Xenophobia and Racism). They hope the club will take the necessary steps to improve the situation of women's football, which continues to face inequality compared to men's football throughout the country.
“We didn’t want to make a labor claim against Central,” Sánchez emphasizes, but clarifies that the actions were intended to improve the conditions of women’s football.
For her, who started playing soccer at 13, reaching Central at 24, the club she's supported since birth, was a dream come true. “I'm a huge Central fan. It's difficult when you have to separate feelings from the actions of these people. But the passion for the colors never changes. I never imagined I'd be a professional and wear my club's jersey. It was a dream,” she emphasizes.
And she concludes: “I would love for the club to have truly qualified people in charge of a professional team. Not just for us, but for the young girls coming up behind us. We want them to have the best possible working conditions, so that just because we're women, we don't have to continue suffering these kinds of abuses. You can't even speak up, or you'll be kicked out.”
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