A top-flight girls’s match in England was deserted after simply six minutes on Sunday as a result of the sector was frozen, sparking complaints from managers and gamers that the league wasn’t being taken critically sufficient.
There was a discipline inspection three hours earlier than the scheduled kickoff between Chelsea and Liverpool in London within the Women’s Super League, earlier than heaters had been utilized in an try to make the floor playable.
Defender Kadeisha Buchanan was within the beginning lineup for Chelsea, whereas fellow Canadian soccer star Jessie Fleming was on the bench.
The referee, after consulting with each managers, took the groups off shortly after the match started at Chelsea’s Kingsmeadow stadium “with the intention to defend the security of the gamers,” the league stated in an announcement.
Chelsea supervisor Emma Hayes stated it was time for stadiums internet hosting video games in girls’s soccer to have undersoil heating like within the males’s recreation.
“We’ve received to take our recreation critically,” Hayes informed the BBC. “Yes, we are able to have our blowers and little pitch tents, nevertheless it’s not going to be sufficient.”
A floor employees member is seen making ready the pitch after the covers had been eliminated previous to the match. (Clive Rose/Getty Images)
The 12-team WSL is run by the English Football Association.
Later Sunday, Brighton introduced that its match in opposition to Arsenal scheduled for the night was postponed as a result of the Broadfield Stadium “was discovered to be frozen after an inspection this afternoon.” Tottenham’s house recreation in opposition to Leicester had additionally been postponed for a similar purpose.
Buchanan posted in an Instagram story that it was “thoughts boggling that there is video games/trainings being cancelled due to frozen pitches all through the league… We ought to have heated pitches too.”
Buchanan’s Chelsea teammate, Erin Cuthbert, added on Twitter: “This should not be occurring and we’ll demand extra for our recreation.”
‘This is unacceptable’
Janine Beckie, Vanessa Gilles and Shelina Zadorsky, who like Buchanan and Fleming had been a part of the Canadian Olympic gold medal marketing campaign in Tokyo, additionally voiced their ideas on Twitter.
Beckie deemed the state of affairs “unacceptable”.
“Four years taking part in in England and this was a possible actuality for each crew, each week. The WSL is a high 3 league on the planet, that is unacceptable and the gamers should be taking part in in appropriate grounds the place this isn’t a actuality. We’re far previous this within the girls’s recreation,” stated the previous Manchester City striker.
4 years taking part in in England and this was a possible actuality for each crew, each week. The WSL is a high 3 league on the planet, that is unacceptable and the gamers should be taking part in in appropriate grounds the place this isn’t a actuality. We’re far previous this within the girls’s recreation! <a href=”https://t.co/qsEA67EZH2″>https://t.co/qsEA67EZH2</a>
—@janinebeckie
“How was this recreation allowed to even start within the first place?,” requested Gilles, a centre-back for France’s Lyon.
“Egregious from the FA (England’s Football Association) to make these skilled gamers compete in such harmful situations. Equally surprising that there aren’t any heated fields accessible for the skilled golf equipment.”
How was this recreation allowed to even start within the first place? <br>Egregious from the FA to make these PROFESSIONAL gamers compete in such harmful situations. Equally surprising that there aren’t any heated fields accessible for the PROFESSIONAL golf equipment. <br>😵💫 Women’s Soccer 😵💫 <a href=”https://t.co/oJ3KuwDr19″>https://t.co/oJ3KuwDr19</a>
—@VanessaGilles
“The [Women’s Super League] is certainly one of, if not the, greatest league on the planet for Women’s soccer. Every 12 months we’re purported to cancel video games due to the climate?,” posted Zadorsky, a centre-back for Chelsea rival Tottenham Hotspur.
“Now, cancelling a recreation 5 minutes in on TV. We deserve higher, followers deserve higher, girls’s soccer deserves higher.”
The <a href=”https://twitter.com/BarclaysWSL?ref_src=twsrcpercent5Etfw”>@BarclaysWSL</a> is certainly one of, if not the, greatest league on the planet for Women’s soccer. Every 12 months we’re purported to cancel video games due to the climate? Now, canceling a recreation 5 minutes in on TV. We deserve higher, followers deserve higher, girls’s soccer deserves higher.
—@Shelina4
The fixture will likely be performed at a future date but to be introduced. Chelsea posted data on its web site for followers who’d wish to request a refund.
