Jamaican Women's National Team Tells Federation: 'No Pay No Play'
Players for the Jamaican women's national team have said they won't play again until they're paid what the Jamaican federation owes them.
Team members, including Khadija [Bunny] Shaw, Toriana Patterson, Allyson Swaby and Lauren Silver took to social media Monday to post a "No Pay No Play" banner that said, "Pay Our Reggae Girlz." The squad, known as the Reggae Girlz, made history at this year's Women's World Cup as the first Caribbean team to make the field for the tournament.
Shaw posted to Instagram, writing, "First Caribbean team to qualify for a World Cup. We have made a lot of sacrifices to wear the colors of Jamaica. We have respected and worn the colors with pride. We are in a position where we we are literally fighting just to get paid by legal agreements. This ain’t just about money, it’s about change, change in the way women football is viewed especially in Jamaica. We deserve more and they can do better. For this reason, I along with my teammates won’t be participating in any future tournaments until being paid.
Jamaica did not make it out of the group stage, losing to Brazil, Italy and Australia. The United States women's national team won the tournament, earning its second straight title.
USWNT players are also fighting an equal pay battle, with players being vocal about pay disparities. On March 8, 28 players brought a lawsuit against U.S. Soccer, which accused the Federation of "institutionalized gender discrimination." Mediation talks between the two parties ended in mid August, and a trial date has been set for May 5, 2020.
