Elimination of the women’s national team is an opportunity for deep reflection – 08/11/2023 – Marina Izidro

England v Nigeria, Women’s World Cup Round of 16, 42nd half, zero-zero. England star Lauren James and Michelle Alozie clash. As he gets up, James stomps on the Nigerian woman’s back. The yellow card turns red after the shot is reviewed by the video referee. It wasn’t by accident, the attacker didn’t lose her balance. She was frustrated by this point in the game, but it was a conscious gesture.

After the match, James apologized to Michelle and the fans and said he had learned a lesson. But the barrage of criticism had already begun. From curses on the internet to comparisons with David Beckham, sent off at the 1998 World Cup after he retaliated against a foul he suffered from Diego Simeone. If the England men’s team was eliminated by the Argentines in the round of 16, this time the final was different: the European champions, led by Sarina Wiegman, beat Nigeria on penalties, are in the quarterfinals – they face Colombia this Saturday (12 ) without James, suspended – and remain among the favorites to win the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

The repercussion with James’ move was strong and led journalist Suzanne Wrack, who covers the tournament for the British newspaper The Guardian, to write an article in which she proposes a reflection: what level of criticism is appropriate in women’s football? Wrack raises the debate about “where is the line between analysis, abuse and bullying”, and the text reminded me of reactions when the Brazilian team was eliminated in the first round, after the draw with Jamaica.

James rose to fame early. Discovered by Arsenal scouts at the age of 13, she also went through Manchester United and, today, aged 21, is at Chelsea. She has already scored three goals in the World Cup.

As in the case of criticism of Brazil, someone will always say: “wow, but do you want to be famous, win titles, and only receive praise?”. Of course it’s not about that. And it’s important to remember that James, like many other female players, also suffers from racist abuse and sexist name-calling. And direct comparisons between men’s and women’s football are unfair, as they ignore the wildly different level of investment each has received over the last few decades.

Sporting, the early elimination of the Brazilian team at a time when there is more media attention and when trying to spread the sport in the country is horrible. But I see —constructive— criticism as a sign of progress. The team has reached a point where more is expected, there is greater responsibility and it is natural for the specialized press and fans to make demands. And I see that there is a great opportunity to promote a high-level and in-depth debate on the future of women’s football in Brazil. Not just about who the next coach should be, or why the goal against Jamaica didn’t come up. But also about how to expand the practice among girls so that they learn to like football and develop the fundamentals earlier, or how to pay more attention to the youth categories and the national championship.

And it’s always good to remember the phrase of the journalist from The Guardian newspaper: it is necessary to find the limit between analysis and abuse. Let’s not stay in the shallow debate. In James’ England, years of investment and persistence paid off.

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