Azzurre CT Milena Bertolini has accused some Italian clubs of treating women’s teams no more than ‘an image’ after Serie A Femminile was ended early.
The decision made on Tuesday means Juventus will not be crowned Scudetto winners and Milan miss out on Champions League football next season, despite being level on points with Fiorentina.
“For some clubs, women’s teams are just an image,” Bertolini told Corriere della Sera.
Azzurre CT Milena Bertolini has accused some Italian clubs of treating women’s teams no more than ‘an image’ after Serie A Femminile was ended early.
The decision made on Tuesday means Juventus will not be crowned Scudetto winners and Milan miss out on Champions League football next season, despite being level on points with Fiorentina.
“For some clubs, women’s teams are just an image,” Bertolini told Corriere della Sera.
“I’m sad, disappointed, angry. I’d prepared a surprise for the girls, an appointment on Zoom at 1pm, the kick-off time of our first game in France [at the 2019 Women’s World Cup], for memories, anecdotes and a quiz about our World Cup.
“They were all willing participants, but there was a lot of bitterness. There were sad faces, especially from those who suffered most from the season being cancelled – the Juventus players, who didn’t win the Scudetto, the Milan players, who will see Fiorentina go into the Champions League instead of them.
“And to think that Juve and Milan are the only two clubs that allowed their players to return to training after lockdown. It’s a paradox.”
Italy achieved their joint-best finish at the Women’s World Cup last summer, reaching the quarter-finals, but Bertolini claims recent events are threatening to throw all their good work away.
“That team came from two seasons of hard work. Unfortunately, certain interests have meant that the general good has been lost sight of.
“In Italy, there’s no broader vision of women’s football: you can't leave players out of training for six months…
“The other countries are moving quicker than us. They’re not waiting for us.
“If we don’t put the girls on a level playing field, Italian football risks losing them. Italy’s still lagging behind on a cultural level and it no longer makes sense to beg for things that we’re entitled to.
“Women’s football deserves [to be professional], period.”