England Lionesses Head to Women’s World Cup Frustrated with FA Over Bonus Payments
The England women’s national football team, the Lionesses, are heading to the Women’s World Cup in Australia this July, but they are frustrated with the Football Association (FA) over its stance on performance-related bonuses. Players for some rival nations are set to receive bonuses, but as things stand the Lionesses will not. The FA and Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) have been in talks about the issue, but a resolution has yet to be reached.
For the first time at a Women’s World Cup, players will receive individual payments direct from Fifa. These payments range from £23,500 for players whose teams are knocked out in the group stages to £211,000 if they win the tournament. Nations will also receive increased prize money, with the winning country set to be paid £3.4m.
The FA had previously offered bonuses to the Lionesses, but it is understood the organisation now believes Fifa’s direct payments to be a suitable replacement. However, players feel that the FA, which considers itself to be a leading federation in women’s football, is being overshadowed by some rivals – including Australia, the United States and Spain – who are willing to provide bonuses to their squad members. The German Football Federation (DFB) will also not offer bonus payments to its players, who lost to England in the Euro 2022 final.
England are set to fly out to Australia on Wednesday 5 July with their opening match against Haiti set to take place on 22 July in Brisbane, and players are keen to reach an agreement before then. It comes as part of a wider frustration concerning the FA’s commercial strategy, which players feel limits their ability to earn extra payments from sponsorship and marketing opportunities.
What Are Performance-Related Bonuses?
Performance-related bonuses are monetary rewards given to players for their success in a particular game or tournament. These bonuses are usually based on individual performance or team performance, and can range from a few hundred pounds to hundreds of thousands of pounds.
The FA had previously offered performance-related bonuses to the Lionesses, but it is understood that they now believe Fifa’s direct payments to be a suitable replacement. This has caused frustration among the players, who feel that the FA is not doing enough to reward them for their hard work and dedication.
Why Is the FA Not Offering Performance-Related Bonuses?
The FA has stated that it believes Fifa’s direct payments to be a suitable replacement for performance-related bonuses. This is due to the fact that all teams competing in the Women’s World Cup will receive payments from Fifa, regardless of how well they perform.
The FA has also said that it is committed to investing in the development of women’s football in England and that it believes that this investment should be focused on grassroots and youth football rather than on performance-related bonuses for players.
The Debate Over Performance-Related Bonuses
The debate over performance-related bonuses has been ongoing for some time now and it shows no signs of abating. On one side of the debate are those who believe that performance-related bonuses should be offered in order to reward players for their hard work and dedication. On the other side are those who believe that such bonuses should not be offered as they could create a sense of entitlement among players and lead to a lack of motivation.
The FA has stated that it believes Fifa’s direct payments to be a suitable replacement for performance-related bonuses, but this has not been enough to appease the England players who feel that they should be rewarded for their hard work and dedication.
Conclusion
The England Lionesses are heading to the Women’s World Cup in Australia this July, but they are frustrated with the Football Association over its stance on performance-related bonuses. Players for some rival nations are set to receive bonuses, but as things stand the Lionesses will not. The FA had previously offered bonuses to the Lionesses, but it is understood the organisation now believes Fifa’s direct payments to be a suitable replacement. This has caused frustration among the players, who feel that they should be rewarded for their hard work and dedication. The debate over performance-related bonuses is likely to continue until a resolution is reached between the FA and PFA.