Emma Hayes sure knows how to speak her mind, and this time, she’s giving her opinion on a subject that is leaving many people with their mouths wide open. If you happened to have missed it, the SheBelieves Cup saw the USWNT dominating Colombia with a quite easy 2-0 victory. Nothing out of the ordinary, right? But here is the twist. As it is common with most players, they are expected to earn their paycheck from their respective federations, be it in a tournament or friendly match. The American ladies? They are earning $8,000 per game, and the bonus of $10,000 for every victory. Reasonable as per the level of competition.

However, when it came to Colombia, the figures were so appalling they could have knocked one off their feet. Colombian women’s football players are being paid $80 a day for the 10 days of the tournament. That’s not a typo. Eighty. Dollars. Per. Day. Such pay gaps used to be discussed only in relation to male and female teams, who could have imagined that such a significant difference would exist between two women’s teams? Naturally, this bombshell revelation made waves, and Emma Hayes couldn’t ignore it.

Emma Hayes opens up on the issue!

Emma Hayes didn’t shy away from the harsh reality when she spoke with U.S. Soccer about the massive pay gap in women’s football. “I agree, I think in the ideal world the level of support we offer our players is the same for everyone,” she said, but admitted that reality is far from that dream. “Unfortunately, there’s still a lot of work to be done in the game to level that up.” She has always felt for players who have to fight through unfair obstacles just to compete at the highest level. “I’ve always empathized with the fact that so many top-level players around the world still have to deal with significant barriers so they can perform at the best level.”

While Hayes is doing everything in her power to create a top-tier environment for her own team, she knows she can’t singlehandedly change the entire football world. “I can’t necessarily influence that in the world game, but I try to do it by providing the very best in the first instance to show the way and lead the way on that front.” She’s not stopping there, though—her vision goes beyond just her team. “We still have so much work to do in our game to make sure that the barrier to performances aren’t there for every girl and female that plays our sport.” Hayes is making her stance crystal clear: this fight isn’t over.

Brandi Chastain summed it up perfectly—“How can we have a professional environment when we’re not paying a wage that is above almost poverty?” No one’s asking for Cristiano Ronaldo money, but fair pay should be a given. Naomi Girma’s $1 million transfer and Emma Hayes’ historic $1.6 million USWNT contract prove progress is happening, yet massive gaps remain.

Consider Mauricio Pochettino, for instance, he earns $6 million as the U.S. men’s coach alone, something that highly outdoes Emma Hayes’ earnings. And when you compare it with the $80 that women of Colombia earn while playing in SheBelieves Cup, then it is not only a shock but a sheer violation of women’s rights. And Colombian players have voiced their concerns before, but at that time, they were comparing themselves to the men’s team, which made the pay disparity even more impossible to overlook.

Colombian players reveal the harsh reality!

In 2019, the Colombian women’s team raised their voice against their country’s football federation for treating them as “second-class citizens”. Former Columbia international Melissa Ortiz did not mince her words and complained about the lack of respect, pointing out that some of the players had to pay for their travel costs not having a training camp for more than a year, not once but twice. Considering that the wages paid to them were barely enough to meet what they should be paid, it was only natural that the players asked for more.

Despite their undeniable talent, Colombia’s women’s squad was left in the shadows, going long stretches without proper resources or a steady paycheck. Ortiz and her former teammate Isabella Echeverri summed it up best when they said that while the men have a strong financial support, the women barely manage to find funds for even the most essential expenses. They also noted that players used to be given 60,000 Colombian pesos ($ 20) per day, but even that was withdrawn. To make the matters worse, they have had to pay for their own travel expenses, including international flights, in order to train.

The Colombian Football Federation even expressed its desire in the development of women’s football and even said, “Women’s football is a priority for the executive committee.” But actions speak louder than words. As much as other countries are gradually moving towards the achievement of equal pay, Colombian women are still waiting for the basic rights that they deserve: fair wage, training, and recognition. The message from the players is clear: they’re not asking for the moon, just the same respect and support given to their male counterparts or other women’s teams.