FIFA website identifies female World Cup players with male pronouns
The FIFA website did not have a great start to the Women’s World Cup on Saturday when its gamecast — the live play-by-play of each game — used male pronouns to identify the female players in the Canada-China game.
Really, #FIFA? FIFA’s gamecast uses male pronouns for #FIFAWWC opener between #CAN and #CHN: http://t.co/EL7AXWDRGi pic.twitter.com/9b4qC2WorJ
— Planet Fútbol (@si_soccer) June 6, 2015
Yes, really. https://t.co/LCzkbmxsFq
— Julie Foudy (@JulieFoudy) June 6, 2015
That’s right, several players were referred to as “he” or “his” for the opening game of FIFA’s largest women’s tournament ever.
FIFA’s social media manager said the error was due to a bug and it was fixed for the tournament’s second game between Netherlands and New Zealand.
This is just another blemish for a soccer organization that has struggled with its relationship with the women’s game. In 2004, then-FIFA president Sepp Blatter said female players would bring more attention to their game if they wore tighter shorts.
There also was rampant criticism leading up this World Cup about the artificial surfaces on which the women were forced to play. The men have never played a World Cup on artificial turf.
The women already had an uphill battle for those who couldn't find FS2 (channel 618 on DirecTV, FWIW), the least FIFA could do is get the pronouns right for those who had to follow via the Internet.
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Follow Graham Watson on Twitter @Yahoo_Graham
