Women’s football

ENGLAND’S Lionesses could go on strike amid a bitter pay row with the FA, according to reports.Players were understood to be seeking around £100,000 each in bonuses had they won the World Cup Down Under.
England were beaten by Spain in the women’s World Cup finalCredit: Rex
After losing 1-0 to Spain in the final, they were willing to accept half that amount.
According to the Mail, players are set for “crunch talks” with FA chiefs next week.
They claim that players are “aware” of their possible actions and could choose to press on with the “nuclear option” of ceasing all commercial work for the FA.
It’s even claimed that they could refuse to play until a resolution is reached, although this option has “not yet been directly suggested”.
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England’s pay from the FA is currently negotiated before or after each tournament – although players want more “clarity” moving forward.
This cash pot comes from prize money and commercial revenue received by the FA for the players’ performances.
Prior to the women’s World Cup, the FA imposed commercial restrictions on their own players.
This was because chiefs were concerned that individual player deals could upset their own.
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The FA’s decision cost their players potentially huge sums in endorsements.
At the time, captain Millie Bright wrote in a statement: “Last year we presented the FA with concerns relating to our bonus and commercial structures. The hope was that discussions would lead to a solution before the commencement of our World Cup.
“We are disappointed that a resolution has still not been achieved.
“With our opening game on the horizon, we Lionesses have decided to pause discussions, with full intentions of revisiting them following the tournament.
“We collectively feel a strong sense of responsibility to grow the game. And while our focus now switches fully to the tournament ahead, we believe every tackle, pass and goal will contribute to the work we are committed to doing off the pitch.
“We look forward to playing for our country (at) this World Cup, with pride, passion and perseverance.”
Players did earn cash sums from Fifa for their World Cup performances.
England stars each received £153,000 from world football’s governing body.
While victorious Spain players were paid £210k each.
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The Lionesses are back in action for the first time since their World Cup final heartache in 12 days time.
Key talks will take place between players and FA chiefs ahead of the Nations League clash with Scotland on September 22.
The Lionesses went all the way to the final Down UnderCredit: Getty More

ELLA TOONE has been pictured looking loved-up with her non-league footballer boyfriend Joe Bunney.The couple were seen enjoying a well-earned break in Manchester after Toone’s Women’s World Cup exploits with England.
Ella Toone looked loved-up with boyfriend Joe BunneyCredit: Splash
Toone sported a stylish look in ManchesterCredit: Splash
Toone scored once as she helped the Lionesses reach the final for the first time.
After returning from Australia last week following the loss to Spain, Toone was snapped with Bunney in Manchester on Tuesday.
The pair packed on the PDA after the forward made an appearance on BBC Breakfast.
She was also interviewed by Sky Sports News earlier in the day.
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Toone wore a beige blazer and trousers as she smiled and laughed with Bunney.
The Stalybridge Celtic defender was pictured hugging her from behind before Toone stopped to pose for photos with fans.
Earlier in the day, Toone had called for Spanish FA chief Luis Rubiales to resign during an interview with the BBC.
Rubiales is under pressure to quit after he kissed Spain captain Jenni Hermoso after the Women’s World Cup final.
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Toone and Bunney packed on the PDA in a series of snapsCredit: Splash
The Lionesses star had appeared on BBC BreakfastCredit: Splash
“Spain were unbelievable throughout the tournament,” explained Toone.
“They won the World Cup, which should be the main talking point.
“It’s overshadowed by something that happened after the game, which isn’t acceptable and the Lionesses all stand behind Jenni Hermoso.”
It is unknown how long Toone and Bunney have been together since meeting through mutual pals.
29-year-old Bunney is a devoted Manchester City fan, despite Toone playing for their fierce rivals Manchester United.
Toone and Bunney met through mutual palsCredit: Splash
Bunney plays non-league football for Stalybridge CelticCredit: Splash
The pair have a private relationship but have been known to share loved-up snaps on social media.
Bunney jetted out to Ibiza with Toone last summer as they celebrated England’s Euros triumph on the party island.
Toone also regularly attends his matches when she is not in action herself.
Although she has revealed she is often mobbed for autographs and photos by fans when she is in the crowd. More

‘KISSGATE’ football chief Luis Rubiales’ mum has said she is prepared to die to get “justice” for her son.Retired hairdresser Angeles Bejar is now more than 24 hours into the hunger strike she launched yesterday morning at a church in the Costa resort of Motril near Malaga.
Luis Rubiales sparked controversy when he kissed Jennifer HermosoCredit: Getty
Angeles Bejar, left, has gone on a hunger strikeCredit: EPA
She told a Spanish TV station in a dramatic WhatsApp exchange from her religious refuge: “I will stay here as long as my body holds out.
“I don’t mind dying for justice because my son is a decent person and it’s not fair what they’re doing.”
Overnight it was claimed she snuck into the Divina Pastora Church near her first-floor apartment home by telling a cleaner she was going to “say a prayer” for Luis, now facing a criminal probe in his homeland for kissing player Jenni Hermoso following Spain’s World Cup Women’s win over England in Australia just over a week ago.
Angeles, 72, is said to have taken advantage of the moment the cleaning lady entered the church to mop up the floor and dust down the pews.
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The feisty OAP picked her moment while the priest was on holiday, a Spanish local claimed.
She remained inside this morning with her sister-in-law Mari Carmen, with a doctor expected to make a new visit later to check Angeles is doing okay if she decides to continue with her extraordinary protest.
She is thought to be drinking liquids, with reports water and isotonic drinks are inside the church sparking speculation she could be inside for several more days.
The whereabouts of her son, who has been suspended for 90 days by Fifa, is unknown.
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Rubiales refused to step downCredit: AP
Hermoso has insisted the kiss was not consensualCredit: Rex
He travelled to Motril for a holiday on Saturday despite the town hall’s cancellation of a football match he was due to take part in with friends at a municipal stadium for “security reasons.”
He is said to have met with some of his football pals at a country house just outside of town on Saturday afternoon, but has not been seen in public since he shocked the world by refusing to resign at an extraordinary Spanish FA general assembly last Friday.
Family friend Maria Mora has claimed Luis is having difficulties talking with his mum.
She claimed yesterday: “He’s very worried, he’s having a terrible day because he hasn’t been able to speak with her and he’s feeling terrible.
“He doesn’t know what to do because for him his mother is the most important person in the world and she’s in that church.
“He can’t communicate with her or do anything with her.”
A mass is scheduled to take place at the church tonight and it is unclear whether police will return to the church today to try to persuade Angeles to end her protest.
The priest is believed to have cut short his holiday but has so far refused to comment.
Motril’s second-highest ranking police officer went to the church yesterday and spoke to Angeles as well as the doctor who attended her.
He said afterwards: “She’s doing okay given her age.”
State prosecutors at Spain’s Audiencia Nacional court in Madrid have opened a preliminary investigation into the post-World Cup kiss that has shaken the world of football amid allegations it was an abuse of power and a sexual assault.
They also offered Hermoso, who has insisted she did not give Rubiales permission to kiss her, the chance to join in legal action against the 46-year-old divorced dad-of-three who has claimed their kiss was consensual.
Spanish Football Federation regional leaders called on Rubiales, who apologised for grabbing his crotch in front of Queen Letizia and her teenage daughter Sofia in the same post-match celebrations in Sydney, to resign at an emergency meeting in Madrid yesterday.
All 23 players on Spain’s World Cup-winning team have said they will not play international games while Rubiales remains in his post.
Yesterday Spain’s deputy prime minister Yolanda Diaz weighed into the row over the football boss’ behaviour, saying it showed ‘the worst of Spanish society.’
Two of Rubiales’ female cousins were among those who turned up at the church where his mum is on hunger strike yesterday to defend him.
Vanesa Ruiz Bejar insisted: “There’s a campaign of harassment occurring that is very unfair.
“Luis’ mum who is a very religious person has sought refuge in God and started a hunger strike.
“She doesn’t want to come out of the church. We are all suffering a lot because of what’s happened to Luis which doesn’t seem at all fair to us.
“He’s been condemned already without being tried. It’s not normal. We won’t to be left alone. The facts speak for them, there are videos, there are audio recordings.”
In a direct message to player Hermoso, she added: “Jenni, say the truth.’
“Why has she changed her version three times? We have suffered a lot, we have had to leave our homes because of the harassment we’re suffering.
“We won’t to be left alone and see justice done and we want this woman to tell the truth. Jenni, ‘tell the truth!”
She went on to say Angeles Bejar, Luis’ mum, was in a very distressed state, adding: “She’s an elderly lady whose health is very delicate and she’s suffering a lot.
“She’s crying all time and is not able to sleep and is not eating.
“The person that spends five minutes with Luis knows he’s a really good person with a big heart. He’s a very noble person.”
Asked when Angeles’ hunger strike would continue until, she said referring to Hermoso: “Until that woman speaks and tells the truth. I’m not saying who’s the baddie and who’s the goodie here, but I just want Hermoso to tell the truth.”
Hermoso, 33, who plays for Mexican side Pachuca, has said in a statement of the kiss: “I want to make clear that not in any moment did the conversation occur that Mr Luis Rubiales references, and much less that his kiss was consensual.
“In the same way I want to reiterate how I did in that moment that what happened was not enjoyable.
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“The situation left me in shock because of the context of the celebration, and with the time passed, and those initial feelings being able to sink, I feel the need to denounce this as I feel that no one, in no work space, sporting or social, should be a victim to this time of unconsensual behaviour.
“I felt vulnerable and a victim of aggression, an impulsive act, sexist, out of place and without any type of consent from my part. In short, I wasn’t respected.” More

CHLOE KELLY has been taking a well-earned break after her exploits at the Women’s World Cup.The England star was pictured on holiday in Ibiza.
Chloe Kelly was pictured enjoying a holiday in IbizaCredit: Instagram @chloekelly
She shared the snaps, including one alongside boyfriend Scott Moore, to her InstagramCredit: Instagram @chloekelly
Kelly, 25, featured in all seven games at the Australia tournament.
She scored once, but was unable to repeat her heroics from the Euro 2022 final as the Lionesses fell to a 1-0 defeat against Spain.
Despite the bitter taste of defeat, there was national pride in a the remarkable achievement of making England’s first World Cup final since 1966.
Following the final, Sarina Weigman’s Lionesses jetted home from Sydney.
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Kelly has since headed to Ibiza to unwind.
She shared a photo to her Instagram page wearing a Burberry bikini top and crochet cream trousers.
Her post was captioned: “Much needed R&R time ☀️🤍🌴.”
Kelly added sunglasses, black sliders and a pair of wristbands to her look as she posed in front of the camera.
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In a second photo she was pictured alongside boyfriend Scott Moore.
The pair have been dating for four years, and are often seen together in loved-up snaps on Instagram.
Kelly played in all seven of England’s games at the World CupCredit: Getty
She scored once in AustraliaCredit: Getty
Kelly jetted back from Sydney with the rest of the Lioness squadCredit: Splash
She scored the winner at Euro 2022 and had an iconic celebrationCredit: Reuters More

JENNI Hermoso insists she did NOT consent to being kissed by disgraced football chief Luis Rubiales after the Women’s World Cup final.The 33-year-old admitted she “felt vulnerable and the victim of aggression” in the immediate aftermath of the kiss, which the Spanish FA president claimed was “consensual”.
Hermoso has said she did not consent to the ‘shock’ kissCredit: BBC
The 33-year-old admitted she “felt vulnerable and the victim of aggression”Credit: Spanish FA
Rubiales – who was hit with a 90-day suspension by FIFA today – has faced furious backlash, with 81 Spanish stars now refusing to play for the women’s team and men’s star Borja Iglesias also striking.
England’s Lionesses – who lost to Spain in the final – also slammed the Spanish FA as a “sexist and patriarchal organisation”.
On Friday Rubiales sensationally refused to resign during an emergency press conference and blamed “false feminism” for his “social assassination”.
Hermoso then issued an emotional statement overnight in which she claimed she had been put under “continuous pressure” to defend the Spanish football federation president.
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She said she had felt “vulnerable and a victim of an impulse-driven, sexist, out of place act without any consent on my part” in a hard-hitting Instagram post.
Jenni, who plays for Mexican side Pachuca, spoke out after Spain’s national women’s soccer team announced they would not play again until Rubiales stepped down following his surprise decision to fight his detractors and refuse to resign.
Late last night the football federation he presides over honed in on Hermoso and accused her of lying in a bizarre photo-led ‘defence’ of the seconds leading up to the infamous Stadium Australia kiss which is now being talked about more than the Spanish women’s historic World Cup win.
The Spanish FA pointed the finger directly at Hermoso by publishing four pictures it insisted showed her putting her arms round Rubiales and lifting him up from the ground.
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The RFEF say Hermoso ‘keeps her arms around Mr. President’s back’Credit: Spanish FA
The Spanish football federation said the president was lifted ‘as a result of the action of force’ from HermosoCredit: Spanish FA
The Spanish FA say Hermoso ‘continues to keep her arms in the same position’Credit: Spanish FA
She has insisted she never sought to lift Rubiales up despite him claiming otherwise at a press conference yesterday when he said the kiss was “spontaneous” and happened after she said “OK” to his suggestion of a “little peck”.
In a statement via football union FUTPRO, Hermoso denied trying to lift Rubiales up from the ground and she and her World Cup teammates announced their ‘Quit or we’ll not play again’ ultimatum to Rubiales.
Announcing lawsuits in its no-holds-barred response, the Spanish FA said: “The Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) and its president will demonstrate each one of the lies that are being spread, whether by someone in the name of the player Jennifer Hermoso, or if it were the case, by the player herself.
“The RFEF and its president, given the gravity of the press release put out by the FUTPRO union, is going to initiate corresponding legal action.
“The RFEF regrets that after such an extraordinary sporting success as that which occurred at the World Cup finals, we cannot be celebrating the situation and this success in the deserved way due to totally non-sporting reasons.”
In another direct message to Jenni and her World Cup team-mates over their decision to boycott the national team while Rubiales remains in his post, the Spanish FA added: “The RFEF respects at all times the decisions of the players about wanting to participate or not with the Spanish team in international games.
“However it would like to state that participation in the team is an obligation of those who are federated if they are called for that purpose.”
The Spanish FA claimed in its lengthy statement it had tried to contact Jenni Hermoso about her post-match claims regarding the kiss but had failed to reach her.
Appearing to threaten her as well as her football union with legal action it said: “The RFEF announces the presentation of as many lawsuits as are necessary to defend the honourability of its president, who has outlined in a very clear and simple way how the events occurred that are the motive of divisiveness and mockery of large sectors of society against him.
“The press release FUTPRO put out has inverted quotes attributed to Jennifer Hermoso in which she says: “‘I want to clarify that, as seen in the images, at no time did I consent to the kiss that he gave me and of course I never tried to lift the president up. I will not tolerate my words being questioned, much less words that I have not said being invented.’”
“In a state where there is rule of law, opinions are counteracted with facts and evidence and lies are refuted in court.
“The RFEF president has wanted to deal with his issue with the maximum respect for the players and institutions and only when an unacceptable red line was crossed has he come out publicly to give his version of events.”
Claiming Rubiales’s version of events was “true” and he “doesn’t lie” the statement went on to detail against a sequence of four photos how Jenni Hermoso “grabbed him with her hands round his back” and said the fact his hands were loose on the top of her back meant he was “unable to exert any pressure.”
The RFEF have DEFENDED the 46-year-old in a bizarre statementCredit: BBC
Rubiales has refused to resign over the issueCredit: Reuters
Luis Rubiales apologised for grabbing his crotch while stood next to Spain’s Queen Letizia
Saying she lifted him off the ground by pointing out his heels “were higher in photo one than in photo two”, the RFEF insisted he had been forced to hold onto her back to maintain his balance while the player hoisted him up into the air.
Of the last photo it said: “Jennifer Hermoso still has her arms in the same position on the president’s body while the president has to carry on holding onto the player so as not to fall.
“It is obvious that the arch in the player’s back corresponds to the force of elevation of the president she is carrying out.
“The evidence is conclusive, the RFEF president has not lied.”
The Spanish FA did not publish any pictures of the kiss itself in its photo compilation, or the shocking moment when Rubiales grabbed his crotch next to Spain’s Queen Letizia and her teenage daughter after the final whistle which he has apologised for.
The controversial football chief initially branded his detractors “idiots” in the backlash over the kiss and his crotch grab.
He later apologised for the kiss but defended it as a spontaneous act before saying “false feminists” claiming he had committed an act of sexual violence were guilty of an attempted “social assassination” in an apparent U-turn on an initial decision to resign.
The Spanish government has started legal action to suspend Rubiales.
Men’s striker Iglesias, who plays for Real Betis and has two international caps, has showed his support for the women players by quitting the national team in protest.
The Lionesses released a joint statement in support of Spain and HermosoCredit: PA
World Cup runners-up England released a joint statement on Friday evening which read: “Unacceptable actions allowed to happen by a sexist and patriarchal organisation.
“Abuse is abuse and we have all seen the truth.
“The behaviour of those who think they are invincible must not be tolerated and people shouldn’t need convincing to take action against any form of harassment.
“We all stand with you, Jenni Hermoso and all players of the Spanish team.”
Former Man United goalie David de Gea tweeted after Rubiales refused to go quietly: “My ears are bleeding.”
USA legend Alex Morgan said: “I’m disgusted by the public actions of Luis Rubiales.
“I stand by @Jennihermoso and the Spanish players.
“Winning a World Cup should be one of the best moments in these players’ lives but instead it’s overshadowed by assault, misogyny, and failures by the Spanish federation.”
Former Arsenal star Hector Bellerin said: “What is happening is truly shameful.
“From representing our country with that level of vulgarity, misrepresenting the victim’s statements and, on top of that, having the audacity to blame her, going on to victimise her for having committed an abuse, are facts that no one would do.
“How can this go unpunished? Football is a social tool to make advancements and progress, machismo should have no place within this system.
“The narcissist never believes he has made a mistake, he is capable of lying, manipulating the truth and making the victim guilty in order to maintain his power above others.”
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And ITV presenter Laura Woods added: “This actually isn’t trial by social media…it’s a pattern of behaviour being called out in a way that can’t be ignored any longer.
“And if some sort of justice is served, perhaps a ‘social assassination’ as Rubiales calls it, is exactly what was needed.”
Laura Woods has also called for ‘justice to be served’Credit: Getty More