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      Uefa fines FAI for IRA chants sung in Republic of Ireland women’s team dressing room

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      THE Football Association of Ireland (FAI) has been fined after a number of their women’s national players engaged in chants referencing the IRA at Hampden Park in October. Uefa revealed the FAI had been fined £17,274 following an investigation conducted by its Ethics and Disciplinary Inspector. 
      Republic of Ireland Women made history in October when they qualified for the World Cup for the first time after beating ScotlandCredit: Sportsfile
      Members of the Republic of Ireland’s women’s team made headlines after their 1-0 defeat of Scotland in a qualification duel for a place in the 2023 Women’s World Cup. 
      Film footage of players singing pro-IRA chants in their dressing room at Hampden Park sparked furore after clips were circulated on social media. 
      Players were seen chanting ‘Ooo Ah Up The Ra’ following their game against Scotland on October 11.
      The Republic of Ireland had made history that night by qualifying for the World Cup for the first time in the side’s 49-year existence. 
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      The chanting incident after their win against Scotland in October led Europe’s governing football body to fine the FAI for “violation of the basic rules of decent conduct”.
      A statement published on the disciplinary page of Uefa’s web site said:  “Following an investigation conducted by a Uefa Ethics and Disciplinary Inspector regarding the potential inappropriate behaviour by players of the Republic of Ireland Women’s team in the aftermath of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup qualifiers play-off second leg match played against Scotland on 11 October 2022, and the subsequent disciplinary proceedings opened against the Football Association of Ireland, the Uefa Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body has taken the following decision: To fine the Football Association of Ireland €20,000 for the violation of the basic rules of decent conduct.”
      In response to the fine the FAI said: “The Football Association of Ireland notes and accepts the sanction by the Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body of Uefa following Uefa’s independent investigation into a potential breach of Uefa’s Disciplinary Regulations.
      “The FAI and the Republic of Ireland Women’s National Team has apologised to all affected by events after the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup Qualifying Play-Off against Scotland in Hampden Park in October.
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      In October national team manager Vera Pauw, 59, issued a public apology following players’ post-match chants at Hampden Park. 
      Pauw, who has coached the side since September 2019 after being appointed as boss, said: “We’ve hurt people and we are very, very deeply sorry for that.”
      Next summer the Republic of Ireland will be one of 32 teams competing in the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
      The team have been drawn in Group B at the tournament alongside Canada, Nigeria and contest co-hosts Australia.
      Their first game will see them go up against Australia on July 20 at Sydney Stadium.
      Vera Pauw’s players will play Australia in Sydney in their first World Cup game in July 2023Credit: Sportsfile More

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      ‘Joe Montemurro was direct about what he expects.. it’s a good start to a new journey’, says Juventus ace Beerensteyn

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      LINETH BEERENSTEYN has come a long way since her playing days at ADO Den Haag where her talent was spotted at 15 by the Dutch club’s former boss Sarina Wiegman. The striker, 26, who helped the Netherlands to Euros glory in 2017, is enjoying life at Juventus who play Arsenal in the Champions League on Wednesday night.
      Lineth Beerensteyn has a made swift impact since her June move to Juventus netting four goals in eight Serie A games this termCredit: Getty
      Arsenal’s clash with Juve will see Beerensteyn go up against her Netherlands team-mate Vivianne MiedemaCredit: Alamy
      The clash at the Emirates will see Joe Montemurro attempt to guide his Juve stars to victory against the team he led to a WSL title in 2019. 
      It will be the first time the Juventus head coach, whose players reached the Champions League quarter-finals last term, takes on his old club in North London since his June 2021 appointment.
      Beerensteyn, who scored in the club’s 1-1 draw with the Gunners in November said: “Last season Juventus showed the whole world what they can do in the Champions League. 
      “They were also in a tough group then with Wolfsburg and Chelsea and at the end they went through and Chelsea went out. 
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      “This season it’s the same again with three really big clubs in the same group – Lyon, Arsenal and us. 
      “Anything can happen in this group. It’s still open and that’s also interesting, because you know that with every game you have to be at your very best.
      “In the Champions League you want to play the best games and the best teams. The tournament is special.
      “If you can play every game against big clubs, that, for me, is the best feeling you can have.”
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      Beerensteyn has made a strong and swift impression on and off the pitch since signing for the Serie A champs in June after a five-year spell at Bayern Munich.
      The Netherlands striker – who charmed her team-mates with a pop song medley during an club initiation ceremony – has netted five goals in 10 Serie A and Champions League games this term. 
      The Hague-born forward, who performed Beyonce’s Halo alongside Sara Gunnarsdottir, describes her move as the “perfect match” for herself and the five-time Italian top tier champions. 
      Beerensteyn added: “It was like a strong, family feeling when I came in.
      “After the Euros when I came here it felt like coming home. The club, my team-mates, the coaches, everyone was so nice. 
      “Joe is a great coach and, for me, this was a good point to start a new journey after five years at Bayern Munich.
      “He knows how to lead a big club and to reach a lot of things.  
      “The club wants to achieve a lot of things in the upcoming years and that for me is a big start to show what I can bring to this team.”
      Among the present and past Gunners stars coached by Montemurro during his four-year Arsenal reign are Dutch aces Vivianne Miedema, Jill Roord and Danielle van de Donk.
      Van de Donk, who now plays for Lyon and compatriot Miedema were part of the Arsenal squad that won the Women’s Super League title in 2019. 
      Joe Montemurro is aiming to steer Juventus to their second win in Group D in this term’s Champions LeagueCredit: Getty
      When asked if she picked their brains on their experiences under Montemurro, Beerensteyn said: “They all said he’s a great coach.
      “Joe was direct about what he expects from me.
      “That’s also what I expect for myself because I know what I can bring with my strengths and with my qualities. 
      “For me it was like a perfect match because I had this target and he had the same targets for me and that’s why it felt like a good (move).”
      One coach who has had a significant impact on Beerensteyn’s journey as a player is Lionesses chief Sarina Wiegman. 
      In 2012 Wiegman, the two-time Euros-winning head coach, was in the fifth year of a seven-season spell managing ADO Den Haag.
      You can see now with Sarina (Wiegman) managing England that what she did with us wasn’t a one-off.Lineth Beerensteyn
      That year she led the team, whose players then included Beerensteyn, to a Dutch Cup and top-flight title win. 
      And the Juventus forward credits Wiegman with giving her the break in a career that would also see her play for FC Twente and Bayern Munich before joining Juve this summer. 
      During Wiegman’s five-year reign as Netherlands head coach Beerensteyn was part of the squad that won their first Euros crown in 2017 and reached the World Cup final two years later. 
      The Holland forward, who has made 86 senior appearances for her country, said: “Sarina was a big influence for me personally because she was my first coach at ADO Den Haag.
      “I was 15 and she gave me that chance. 
      “After that she was my coach on the national team and step by step she saw me growing. She had a huge impact on my career. 
      “It’s sad that she left us (the Netherlands), but you can see, now that Sarina is managing England, that what she did with us wasn’t a one-off.
      “She is reaching it again with a different team, in a different country and with a different language. 
      “I have huge respect for her because she is a really good coach and person.”
      Beerensteyn was part of the Netherlands team that won the Euros in 2017Credit: Getty
      Under new head coach Andries Jonker the Netherlands will be one of 32 sides competing in next year’s Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. 
      In 2019 Beerensteyn and her team-mates reached the final where they lost to tournament winners USA. 
      On the chances of her side going one better at next year’s tournament, Beerensteyn added: “First of all, we want to pass the group stage. That’s the first step and very important. 
      “With our quality, it doesn’t matter who is playing because we have such a strong group and if we show that, I think we can do something special.”
      This weekend Holland’s men’s stars take on Argentina in a bid to reach their World Cup semis and set up a duel with Brazil or Croatia. 
      Juventus will take on Serie A leaders Roma on Sunday with Montemurro’s side currently six points behind their title rivalsCredit: Getty
      Beerensteyn added: “It will not be an easy game but they showed against the USA (who they beat 3-1) what they can do.
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      “I think they will show this against Argentina and if they can be smart against (Lionel) Messi, they can win.”
      *Arsenal’s Women’s Champions League game against Juventus will be aired live on DAZN’s channel on YouTube at 8pm on Wednesday night. More

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      Arsenal ace Miedema reiterates player protection call and urges rethink on number of Fifa windows in women’s game

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      VIVIANNE MIEDEMA hopes coaches will encourage their players to take breaks following her time away from match action in November. And the WSL’s all-time top scorer urged Fifa and Uefa to listen to player welfare concerns with a number of top pros sidelined by injuries this term. 
      Vivianne Miedema says she has come back ‘physically a lot fitter’ following her short break in NovemberCredit: Getty
      The Arsenal star netted for the Gunners against Juventus and Everton following her return to actionCredit: Getty
      Miedema, 26, who made 30 Gunners appearances last season and played nine international games for her country this year, was absent from Arsenal’s defeat and two Netherlands fixtures. 
      And the Gunners ace believes her short stint away months after getting Covid during the Euros has seen her return ‘physically a lot fitter’.
      Miedema, who with her team will play Juventus in the Champions League at the Emirates on Wednesday said: “I think a lot of people probably thought my time off would just mean me going on a holiday and not training, and just getting away from football. 
      “But I’ve actually used some time off, going to the other side of the world, but still training every day. 
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      “I’ve not had a pre-season after I had Covid this summer, so I used that period of time to actually get myself fit and that’s the biggest difference I feel on the pitch right now.
      “I feel physically a lot fitter, I think you can see that in the games, and I think by being physically fit, then the game becomes easy for me again. 
      “You’ve seen that over the last two games and I hope I can at least hold that in the next four games, until Christmas.”
      Miedema is among a number of influential WSL figures who have flagged concerns regarding the physical demands on players in recent seasons due to a busy domestic and international schedule. 
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      Last month the striker used her column in Dutch newspaper Algemeen Dagblad to call on football’s authorities to consider the “physical strain” on players amid a spate of injuries to WSL aces.
      Beth Mead, Lina Hurtig and Gunners’ skipper Kim Little are among her club mates contending with injuries. 
      Miedema’s call came weeks after she was granted time off to ‘rest and recharge’. 
      And the player scored against Juve in the Champions League on November 24 after returning to action five days earlier during Arsenal’s 3-2 loss to Manchester United.
      Leah Williamson made her return to action for Arsenal in the WSL ahead of their second Champions League group stage duel with JuventusCredit: Getty
      When asked if players should feel free to ask for time off, Miedema said: “It’s something that a lot of younger players, and even also the older ones, would probably not ask for themselves. 
      “I think coaches on national teams and club football, need to be a bit more aware of it as well and sometimes probably instigate it themselves 
      “But I hope that by me taking the time off, it will have done good for a couple of players, that they are feeling confident enough to actually ask for that break and don’t feel ashamed for needing it
      “As I’ve said so many times before, it’s been so non-stop over the last couple of years that, at one point, you just need to switch off. 
      “For some people that might mean two weeks, for other people that might mean longer.
      “I just hope that they feel confident enough to ask for that time off.”
      When asked what action she would like to see on player welfare and busy fixture schedules, Miedema added: “It’s quite a hard one because in the end, as a player, you want to be playing in the big tournament, you want to play at a Euros, you want to play in a World Cup.
      “The biggest difference when it comes to international football with us is that we’ve got more windows within the season than the men have. 
      “We also played the Olympics with a-teams instead of the Under-23s and that’s definitely something that Fifa, Fifpro and Uefa need to start looking at. 
      Joe Montemurro is aiming to lead his Juve aces to victory against his former club in the Champions LeagueCredit: Getty
      “If we want to make the calendars similar, then don’t let us have six FIFA (international) windows when the men only have four or five per year.
      “I think that also comes back to us (in women’s football) not having the same amount of numbers within our squad.”
      Arsenal’s clash with Juve, who are coached by former Gunners boss Joe Montemurro, could see defenders Leah Williamson and Rafaelle Souza back in European action. 
      The duo could be set to make their first Champions appearance since the Gunners defeat of Ajax away in September. 
      Reflecting on their return Miedema added: “We’ve missed their qualities on the pitch.
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      “But I think as a team, and especially when you have many injuries, you stick together. You try and help each other out.
      “Then the moment the players are coming back, it just lifts the whole atmosphere in the team, with the girls being back on the pitch. You’re happy about that.” More

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      Taylor’s Manchester City aim to ‘claw back ground’ on WSL title rivals in duel with Skinner’s Man United

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      GARETH TAYLOR insists there are ‘no easy’ WSL fixtures after Manchester City’s eighth win on the bounce since losses to Aston Villa and Chelsea. The Citizens overcame Brighton 3-1 to keep pace in the title race before their derby clash with Man United on Sunday. 
      Gareth Taylor’s Manchester City aim to go level on points with Man United after their first derby clash this seasonCredit: Getty
      Marc Skinner’s side have been in fine form losing just one of their eight WSL games to date netting 21 goalsCredit: PA
      City are currently three points behind their neighbours and Arsenal before their Etihad duel with the Red Devils on December 11.
      Taylor’s side hope to gain ground on both clubs and WSL leaders Chelsea in the race for top three and the title. 
      As of Monday morning more than 40,000 match tickets have been bought by fans ahead of the game which kicks-off at 2:00 pm.
      When asked if wins for City’s rivals had played on his team’s minds, the Academy Stadium boss said: “You expected them to win the games they played and they did. 
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      “People probably expected us to win as well and that’s probably some of the problems with the game at the moment
      “People see the game on paper and think well that’s it, but then there are no easy games. They can be difficult.”
      Chloe Kelly looked to have open her WSL goal account for this term when her corner kick found its way into the back of the net in the 11th minute
      But the England star’s delivery was deflected into the net by Seagulls defender Jorja Fox.
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      Julie Blakstad’s header and Laura Coombs thumping finish saw the hosts extend their lead to 3-0 with Brighton’s Lee Geum-min netting an injury-time consolation. 
      City’s clash with the Red Devils could see Taylor team go level on points with United should they defeat Mark Skinner’s side.
      The last encounter between the teams ended in a 4-1 Women’s FA Cup fifth round victory for the Citizens in February this year.
      Back then Lauren Hemp, Khadija Shaw and former City stars Caroline Weir and Ellen White were on the score sheet
      However, the club will face a high-scoring United side who have lost just once in the league so far this term, keeping five clean sheets in eight games.
      But Taylor is believes his side have a good chance of gaining ground on their neighbours.
      Taylor added: “We have a good opportunity at the weekend at home – albeit at the Etihad – to claw even more ground back.
      “Certainly after (losing) the first two games to be where we are now is a great effort from everyone. ”
      Manchester City will take on Liverpool in a Conti Cup group stage duel before facing Man UnitedCredit: Alamy More

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      Who is Alisha Lehmann and what’s her net worth?

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      ALISHA Lehmann is an Aston Villa star and Instagram influencer with nearly 10 million followers.This is everything you need to know about Aston Villa forward.
      Alisha Lehmann missed out on the 2022 Women’s Euros as she didn’t “feel mentally ready for a European tournament”Credit: Getty
      Who is Alisha Lehmann?
      Alisha Lehmann is a Swiss footballer born on January 21, 1999.
      The forward made the move to the Women’s Super League in August 2018 when she was signed by West Ham United.
      She impressed West Ham Women’s boss at the time, Matt Beard, with her performances in the 2018 UEFA Women’s Under-19 Championship, hosted in her homeland.
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      She was an essential part of the team that won the Women’s FA Cup final that season.

      In January 2021, Lehmann moved on loan to Merseyside club Everton until the end of the season.
      After that loan spell, she completed a move to Aston Villa where she scored four goals in 23 appearances during her first season.
      As for her international career, Lehmann earned her first cap for Switzerland in October 2017 and then went on to score her first goal in March 2018.
      Her first Swiss goal was against Finland at the 2018 Cyprus Women’s Cup.
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      Aston Villa’s no.7 was chosen by Switzerland’s head coach Nils Nielsen for the Women’s Euros 2022, however, Lehmann decided not to play.
      She said: “It’s a personal decision.
      “I don’t feel mentally ready for a European tournament.”
      What is Alisha Lehmann’s net worth?
      Lehmann’s net worth is believed to be between £500,000 and £1.2million.
      Her salary from Aston Villa is reported to be around £160,000 while she earns more revenue from her sponsorships with Adidas and EA Sports.
      Who is the highest paid female footballer?
      The highest-paid female footballer was reported to be US star Carli Lloyd.
      She had a spell with Manchester City in 2017, however, returned to America soon after.
      It was estimated that she earned £420,000 a year.
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      Now Lloyd has reitred, Sam Kerr is the reported highest-paid female footballer.
      The Australian forward plays for Chelsea in the Women’s Super League and earns over £400,000 a year. More

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      Marc Skinner says Manchester United must maintain high standards after trouncing Villa to keep pressure on rivals

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      MARK SKINNER urged Manchester United to remain relentless with their standards after they crushed Aston Villa 5-0 in front of a record Old Trafford crowd. Five clinical finishes including an Ona Batlle stunner saw United momentarily go top of the table before Chelsea’s 8-0 drubbing of Leicester City. 
      Katie Zelem opened the scoring for Manchester United with the Red Devils skipper making her 100th WSL appearanceCredit: Getty
      Alessia Russo netted her third goal in three successive WSL games as Man United followed up their win against Arsenal with a defeat of Aston VillaCredit: Getty
      Ona Batllle was one of five different players on the scoreboard for the Red DevilsCredit: Reuters
      The result saw Villa, who had Hannah Hampton back in goal for the first time since a 2-0 win against the Foxes in September, fall to their heaviest loss in the WSL this term after eight games.
      And Man United notched up their seventh win from eight matches in front of a 30,196-strong crowd, the largest to watch them at the Theatre of Dreams.
      The outcome saw Skinner’s side – who had five different players on the scoresheet keep up the pressure on the Blues and Arsenal.
      And they remain second and level on points with the Gunners with Chelsea returning to pole position after their emphatic win.
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      Red Devils chief Skinner, whose stars face Man City next, told Sky Sports: “As a manager you have got to be happy with the result which of course I am.
      “But we want to put performances on and as a group we wanted to be better in the first half and take that into the second. 
      “We need to keep our standards high and the players felt that too. They enjoyed it but we expect more for ourselves.”
      Forward Ella Toone added: “We are feeling really confident that we can go out and produce big performances like this one. 
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      “Our standards are so high that we are not 100% happy with our performance and we want more from ourselves. 
      “We demand so much more, but we are happy with the three points and the five goals.
      Katie Zelem opened the scoring for the hosts on her 100th WSL appearance
      The United captain pounced a fumble from Hampton to smash the ball home from yards out in the 13th minute. 
      And Leah Galton made it 2-0, slotting the ball home after a deft defensive-splitting pass from player of the match Toone. 
      Villa saw an Alisha Lehmann goal disallowed for an offside in the first spell’s closing stages before Alessia Russo extended United’s lead in the second half with her third goal in three successive games. 
      Rachel Daly and Lehmann forced a couple of impressive stops from Mary Earps before Batlle lashed the ball over Hampton’s head to make it 4-0 to Skinner’s side in the 76th minute
      To their dismay the hosts saw a Galton finish ruled out after the referee had blown her whistle for Anna Patten’s foul from behind on the United forward. 
      However Rachel Williams topped off the victory in injury time by burying her first goal in a Red Devils shirt to wrap up the 5-0 win.
      Villa boss Carla Ward, who had just two fit players on her bench, vowed her side would bounce back after their fourth loss in eight games. 
      Ward, whose team play Sheffield United in the Conti Cup before a league duel with Arsenal, said: “We’ve got to take learnings from this and the character of this group will be tested. 
      “One thing this result won’t do is define our season.
      “My players have been absolutely exceptional this season, so these days happen sometimes. 
      “It’s difficult to have two fit players on the bench because you’re sitting there and thinking ‘your hands are tight, you can’t do much.’ 
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      “We’ve got players coming back from injury and the transfer window coming up.
      Rachel Williams netted her first goal in a Man United shirt with an injury time strike for Skinner’s sideCredit: Getty
      “We have to get back on track and try to get over this as quickly as possible.” More

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      Willie Kirk reckons the WSL is ready to be expanded and believes growth could help boost fan base

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      WILLIE KIRK believes the WSL is equipped to become a bigger division with the addition of two more sides to the 12-team league. And the Leicester manager, 44, joked he would be ready to see more clubs added next week with his side currently bottom of the table.
      Leicester City take on Chelsea at home next before travelling to Liverpool for the last WSL game of the yearCredit: Getty
      The Foxes are yet to pick up a point in the WSL after seven games playedCredit: Getty
      The Foxes will take on Chelsea at the King Power tomorrow in what will be their first match against the Blues since Kirk took charge on November 3rd. 
      And the Leicester City chief, who came close to guiding his players to their first point this term last month, hopes to get off the mark with Reading currently four ahead.
      Kirk told reporters: “A  number of teams are investing significant amounts of money now and I think the game is ready to be expanded and the WSL is ready to take an extra couple of teams. 
      “Maybe I’m slightly biased because of the position we’re in.
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      “But I do think the fine lines in the league can be really tough to deal with because after a few games,  if you get off to a bad start, it can make a real difference. 
      “However, I do remember when it was an eight-team league and that was even tougher. 
      “It’s heading in the right direction and I think we can have more domestic games.
      “An extra four games a season by including an extra two teams would help us with those peaks and troughs and get more consistency with the fixture list and more consistency with home games.
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      “We’re trying to build fan bases and some teams have one home game a month.”
      Kirk’s comments come at a time of much debate around fixture schedules and managing player loads with a number of WSL aces contending with anterior cruciate ligament problems and other injuries.
      Chelsea chief Emma Hayes, 45, and Arsenal boss Jonas Eidevall, 39,  are among managers who have flagged concerns in regard to how domestic and international games are scheduled. 
      And in her column for Dutch newspaper AD Gunners ace Vivianne Miedema, 26, said ‘the playing calendar’ for male and female players at football’s highest levels is ‘simply too full’.
      When asked for his view on the loads being put on players, Kirk said: “I think it’s the peaks and troughs that are really difficult to manage.
      “Emma (Hayes) has probably had some frustrating periods where she (and Chelsea) have maybe only had two games across three weeks, but then she’s got a three-game week, four weeks out of five.
      “It’s the peaks and troughs that are really difficult to manage. If this is more consistent I don’t think it would be a problem.”
      Leicester will play a Chelsea side who have won 16 of their last 17 games.
      The team are currently top of the league having lost just once so far this term. 
      The Blues won their two previous WSL games against the Foxes scoring 11 goals across both including a 9-0 victory in March. 
      Leicester’s last match in the league saw them fall to a narrow 1-0 loss to West Ham with Isibeal Atkinson netting for the Irons in the 88th minute. 
      And Hayes believes her players will be up against a defensively stubborn Foxes side on Saturday. 
      Read More on The Sun
      A win for Chelsea at the King Power would see them stay top of the table before their home duel with ReadingCredit: PA
      The Chelsea boss said: “I know that they have been really stingy defensively so we expect them to be a tough outfit to break down.
      “We are looking forward to playing on a top class surface in a top class stadium which is what everyone wants, it’s another good opportunity.” More

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      USA women’s team to earn £5.4million from men’s side reaching World Cup’s knockout stage thanks to pay deal

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      THE United States’ women’s national team are to receive £5.4million ($6.5m) after their male counterparts reached the World Cup’s knockout phase in Qatar.This comes after an equal payment agreement established this year between US men’s and women’s soccer authorities.
      USA men’s team prize money for reaching the World Cup’s last 16 will be shared with the United States’ women’s sideCredit: Getty
      The USA women’s team are set to receive £5.4million after their male counterparts reached the World Cup’s knockout stageCredit: Getty
      The historic deal, reached in February, saw US Soccer commit to delivering an equal rate of pay to their women’s and men’s national football sides. 
      Back then Alex Morgan, who helped the US women’s team side to World Cup wins in 2015 and 2019, described the move as a “monumental step forward.”
      The San Diego Wave striker, who spent four months on loan at Tottenham in 2020, told Good Morning America: “It’s great to take that step forward. 
      “I not only see this as a win for our team or women in sport but for women in general.”
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      The move saw the federation become the first to provide equal Fifa prize money to men’s and women’s sides competing in World Cup competitions. 
      Gregg Berhalter’s  team’s progress to the last 16 of the contest in Qatar has reportedly seen them rake in approximately £11m ($13m) in World Cup prize earnings. 
      Under the equal pay deal the team, whose Prem stars include Chelsea’s Christian Pulisic, will keep at least £5.4m ($6.5m) after their 1-0 group stage defeat of Iran on Tuesday.
      The remainder would go their female counterparts in a move that would see them receive more prize money than they earned from their World Cup wins in 2015 and 2019. 
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      The team, currently ranked the number one international women’s side in the world, banked $2m and $4m giving them a total combined prize fund of £5million ($6m). 
      The prize pot for Berhalter’s side will increase should they reach the quarter-finals of the Qatar tournament by dispatching the Netherlands in their last 16 match. 
      The team whose aces include forward Timothy Weah, son of the Ballon d’Or-winning president of Liberia George Weah, could pull in an additional £14m ($17m) if they reach the quarter-finals. 
      This amount would be divided into £7m for each US side. 
      The side that emerges triumphant in this year’s World Cup final will earn £35m ($42m). 
      The USA women’s team have triumphed in four World Cup tournament’s including the 2019 contestCredit: Getty More