The Major Division of Colombian Soccer (Dimayor) announced this Tuesday that the women’s league will begin on February 4, will have 17 teams and will last five months, despite the fact that in 2022 it had promised that the tournament would be played all year, which unleashed criticism from the players, who ask for a long championship.
“The BetPlay DIMAYOR 2023 Women’s League will start on February 4 and end on June 30 considering the schedule of the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia/New Zealand 2023 that will begin next July,” the organization detailed in a statement.
He added that “the clubs that have participated in the development of Women’s Professional Soccer have expressed their commitment so that, starting in 2024, the Women’s Professional League can have a longer season.”
The president of Dimayor, Fernando Jaramillo, assured in October that there were “calendar limitations such as the 2023 World Cup, but we are working to make it a sustainable league throughout the year.”
However, this Tuesday’s announcement goes in another direction and the players have expressed their annoyance.
Nicole Regnier, a former Atlético de Madrid soccer player, assured that the decision not to make a long league “seems like a never-ending joke.”
«How long does women’s football have to continue enduring a league of 4 and a half months? Words are always in the air, soccer players deserve to be fulfilled with what they are promised,” said the former soccer player on Twitter.
The center back Isabella Echeverri, who plays for the Mexican Monterrey, stated for her part that “Colombian soccer is full of empty promises, both in the league and in the national team.”
“They promise us changes that never come. They still do not value the value of women in football. Proposals of tremendous value for everyone were put on the table, and not even like that, “she added on her social networks.
The struggle between managers and soccer players has been going on for several years, as the players appreciate that the country has had a professional league since 2017 but regret that they cannot play all year.
In many cases, the professionals have to dedicate the rest of the year to other activities in order to support their families. EFE