Some play, others report and cover the front pages of newspapers and radio channels, as is the case of the Colombian Women’s National Team and one of the renowned journalists and communicators such as Carlos Antonio Vélez. Of course, in a year that is filled with women’s football for the Copa América 2022, the U-20 and U-17 World Cups, the media have set their eyes on these competitions and have covered them.
However, women’s soccer in Colombia is not experiencing its best present despite the great results of the Colombian National Team in which they were runners-up, the U-20 that debuted with a historic victory against Germany and now hopes to add three to to seal their classification to the quarterfinals against their counterpart in Mexico, and the expectation that the U-17s have in the World Cup in India that will be played in October. The face in the BetPlay Women’s League is completely different, as there will be no tournament in the second half of 2022.
As the eyes have been on women’s football, one of the most recognized and important journalists in Colombia, Carlos Antonio Vélez, spoke these days that it is time to forget that there will be no BetPlay Women’s League and continue highlighting the great achievements of the soccer women. However, if there are such good results, why aren’t they rewarded with a serious and worthy tournament?
Vélez said, “Dimayor has the money, forget about the Federation, this has nothing to do with it because the National Team wins and when they win, instead of enjoying themselves and talking about how well the girls did, immediately they say: ‘there is no league’”. The sad reality is that some are the ones who leave everything on the field, others like the journalist have a completely different role, and of course, they do not understand what they live for and want to play and that it is a decent and fair job.
Carolina Pineda, one of the referents in soccer and who had processes in Colombian national teams, challenged him on social networks mentioning, “someone tell Mr. Vélez that we women do not ‘victimize’ ourselves. That the most responsible and professional thing is to listen to both parties… I invite you to a debate so that we can talk about women’s football responsibly. Whoever said that debates are made to be someone’s “enemy”, is generated to enrich information and knowledge”.
someone tell the lord @velezfutbol that We women do not “victimize” us. That the most responsible and professional thing is to listen to both parties…. I invite you to a debate so that we can talk about women’s football in a responsible way.
— CAROLINA PINEDA (@CaroPineda56) August 12, 2022