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Madrid, Spain, was the latest city to welcome the FIFA Women’s World Cup Trophy and a FIFA delegation earlier this week, as the iconic women’s football prize reached the penultimate stop of its tour in Europe.
Accompanied by FIFA Secretary General Fatma Samoura and Chief Women’s Football Officer Sarai Bareman, the first stop in Madrid for the FIFA Women’s World Cup Trophy was the headquarters of Real Federación Española de Fútbol (RFEF) where they greeted by RFEF Secretary General Andreu Camps and his team.
The delegation then proceeded to the RFEF’s auditorium, where Marina Artero and Inma Gabarro, Spanish U17 and U20 FIFA Women’s World Cup winners respectively, unveiled the most coveted prize in women’s football: the FIFA Women’s World Cup Trophy.
A panel discussion on the FIFA Women’s World Cup, which is less than 60 days awa followed, involving Australia’s and New Zealand’s Ambassadors to Spain, Sophia McIntyre and Tara Morton, together with Fatma Samoura and Andreu Camps.
Discussions focused on the many firsts the ninth edition of the tournament will herald, such as an increase in team numbers from 24 to 32, provision of Team Base Camps, a dedicated commercial strategy and over USD 100 million in prize money.
Speaking after the event Fatma Samoura said: “The FIFA Women’s World Cup is getting closer and the eyes of the world will be on the tournament this July and August. Spread across nine host cities in Australia and New Zealand/Aotearoa, it will provide visiting fans and teams with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to discover the diverse populations, unrivalled natural attractions and passionate football fans of the two host nations. It provides an incredible platform to encourage more women and girls worldwide to play and get involved in football, and accelerate the growth of the women’s game, both on and off the pitch.”
A short meeting between the FIFA Secretary General and the RFEF President Luis Rubiales then took place, where discussions focused on incidences of discrimination in the Spanish La Ligia championship. During talks, Fatma Samoura referred to FIFA’s zero-tolerance policy towards racist and discriminatory occurrences. The FIFA Secretary General added that FIFA stands firm in its belief that there is no place for racism in football or in society and FIFA stands by all players who have found themselves in such a situation.
The final component of the delegation’s visit took them to a football clinic at the RFEF campus where they met with young footballers and RFEF technical staff. Excitement amongst the young Spanish fans was clear for all to see, ahead of Los Rojas’ departure to their Team Base Camp in Palmerstown North, New Zealand.
The team’s FIFA Women’s World Cup match schedule kicks off on Friday 21 July at Wellington Regional Stadium against Costa Rica, before a game in Auckland against Zambia on 26 July. Japan will be the final group opponent, also in Wellington on 31 July. Expectations are high among the RFEF staff, with Los Rojas tipped by many to win the tournament for the first-time.
