Australia and Japan’s women’s teams say AFC ignoring pay inequality concerns

MELBOURNE – Women’s Asian Cup finalists Australia and Japan said on April 2 that the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) had ignored an invitation to address gender pay inequality before the record-breaking tournament.

The women’s teams also called on global governing body FIFA to meet its equal prize money target for the men’s and women’s World Cups.

The 12 nations at the quadrennial Asian Cup hosted by Australia competed for a prize pool of US$1.8 million (S$2.3 million), about 12 per cent of the total for the 2023 men’s Asian Cup in Qatar.

It was the lowest prize money among women’s continental competitions in recent years, barely half of the 2024 Africa Cup of Nations pool (US$3.47m).

“Despite the success of this tournament, it remains the lowest-paying continental tournament in the world and inequality between the men’s and women’s game remains,” the Australia and Japan women’s teams said in a statement.

“Our pre-tournament invitation to the AFC to work together on equal prize money, a guaranteed share to all players, and to co-develop a lasting legacy has so far been ignored.”

The AFC declined to comment.

The governing body has taken steps to develop the women’s game, including launching the Women's Champions League in 2024, but critics say progress has been uneven and prize money remains a key issue.

The June 11-July 19 men’s World Cup prize pool is US$727 million for the 48 nations competing in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

The 32-nation Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand in 2023 had a pool of US$110 million.

In 2023, FIFA president Gianni Infantino set a target for gender parity in prize money at the next World Cups.

Brazil host the next women’s tournament in 2027.

“As we look forward, we expect FIFA to honour its pledge of equal prize money for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup and we will continue to fight for equality and respect for women players across our region,” Australia and Japan said.

The Women’s Asian Cup smashed the tournament’s attendance records, with the final won by Japan drawing a crowd of 74,397 to Sydney's Stadium Australia.

A record 350,000 fans came through the turnstiles during the three-week tournament.

In February, a report issued by the global footballers’ union FIFPRO said the event could generate up to US$82.4 million in revenue.

But the tournament also highlighted players’ frustration with gender inequality in funding.

South Korea’s players threatened last year to boycott the tournament over conditions.

India’s women were sent undersized kits made for junior teams at the tournament, sending staff scrambling to get them made locally.

“This tournament was also played against a backdrop of real challenges that the AFC and the players need to work in partnership to address,” Australia and Japan said.

Also on April 1, Japan abruptly axed Nils Nielsen as coach on just 12 days after taking them to Women’s Asian Cup glory, with football chiefs accusing him of being “lax” and “lacking passion”.

The 54-year-old Greenlander had been in the job since December 2024 and was the first foreign-born coach of the Japan women’s team.

The Japan Football Association (JFA) said Nielsen’s contract expired after the Asian Cup and the board of directors had decided not to offer him a new one.

“Thinking about winning major international tournaments and weighing up various factors, we came to this conclusion,” said JFA president Tsuneyasu Miyamoto.

Japan won plaudits for their performances at the Asian Cup, where they scored 29 goals and conceded just one.

Nielsen described his team as “inspirational” and said he was “very lucky to be working with players that are that good”.

There was no indication at the time that he would soon depart.

Women’s national team director Norio Sasaki said Japan could not win the 2027 World Cup in Brazil, if Nielsen remained in charge.

“His coaching was a little too lax, a little too soft. A more rigorous approach and rigorous training is necessary,” said Sasaki, who coached Japan to the World Cup crown in 2011.

Sasaki said Nielsen had “a gentle character” and was not tough enough to win major global titles.

“From speaking to him about what he could do to take the team to the next level, there was a sense that he lacked passion,” he said.

Michihisa Kano will take over as interim coach for the tour. Sasaki said that the next full-time coach would likely be Japanese.

Nielsen previously coached Denmark and Switzerland’s women’s teams and served as technical director of Manchester City’s women’s side. REUTERS, AFP