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Alex Morgan And Megan Rapinoe React To US Women's Equal Pay Rejection

Alex Morgan And Megan Rapinoe React To US Women's Equal Pay Rejection

The co-captains have reacted to the unsuccessful...

Josh Lawless

Josh Lawless

The USWNT co-captains have stressed they will continue to fight for equality after being unsuccessful in their bid in their equal pay claim.

All 28 USWNT players, including both Alex Morgan and Megan Rapinoe, filed a lawsuit against against the US Soccer federation and were seeing more than $66 million in damages under the Equal Pay Act and the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

On Friday, US District Judge R Gary Klausner dismissed their claim to be paid the same as their male counterparts.

But the World Cup winners will not rest on the laurels and both Morgan and Rapinoe have pledged to continue their fight.

Although they lost the battle on this occasion, the federal judge has allowed the players' allegations of discriminatory working conditions against USSF to head to trial, with a date of June 16 in Los Angeles being mooted.

"The history of negotiations between the parties demonstrates that the WNT rejected an offer to be paid under the same pay-to-play structure as the MNT, and the WNT was willing to forgo higher bonuses for benefits, such as greater base compensation and the guarantee of a higher number of contracted players," the 78-year-old District Judge wrote in a 32-page decision.

"Accordingly, plaintiffs cannot now retroactively deem their CBA worse than the MNT CBA by reference to what they would have made had they been paid under the MNT's pay-to-play terms structure when they themselves rejected such a structure."

US Women's players have long been unhappy with the powers that be, with many calling for US Soccer president Carlos Cordeiro, to step down after the federation claimed the role of a men's national team player requires a higher level of skill and ability than the job of a women's national team player.

Image: PA
Image: PA

The USSF's lawyers argued: "The overall soccer-playing ability required to compete at the senior men's national team level is materially influenced by the level of certain physical attributes, such as speed and strength, required for the job."

The language of the comments, particularly the "indisputable science" line, prompted a furious response from sponsors such as Coca Cola Visa, Deloitte and Budweiser, while Ballon d'Or winner Rapinoe pulled no punches in her reply to Cordeiro's apology.

Image: PA
Image: PA

Speaking to the BBC, she said: "You want to talk about hostility? Every negotiation we've had, those undertones are in there, that we're lesser - every mediation that we had, every time we meet with them and obviously the reason that we filed this lawsuit.

"So for him to put that out saying sorry presumably to us, we don't buy it.

"Is that truly how they feel about 50% of the population that they are supposed to be stewarding into the game of soccer?

"I don't think anyone wants to sponsor an organisation that is being blatantly misogynistic and sexist. I know that we're in a contentious fight but that crossed a line completely."

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: Alex Morgan, Megan Rapinoe