Juventus’ Alisha Lehmann Hits Out at Gender Pay Gap in Football

Alisha Lehmann has called out the gender pay gap in football, urging for equal treatment of male and female players.

The Swiss forward, who plays for Juventus in Serie A, spoke out in response to a recent report that revealed female footballers in Italy earn on average 20 times less than their male counterparts.

Lehmann said the pay gap is a "disgrace" and called on football's governing bodies to do more to address the issue.

"It's not right that female players are paid so much less than male players," she said. "We put in the same amount of work and we deserve to be treated equally."

Lehmann's comments come amid a growing debate about the gender pay gap in football. In recent years, several high-profile female players have spoken out about the issue, including Megan Rapinoe and Alex Morgan.

In 2020, the US women's national team filed a lawsuit against the US Soccer Federation, alleging gender discrimination. The lawsuit was settled in February 2022, with US Soccer agreeing to pay $24 million in back pay and damages to the players.

The gender pay gap in football is not unique to Italy. In England, the average salary of a female footballer is around £30,000 per year, compared to £2.5 million for a male footballer.

The pay gap is even wider in other countries. In Spain, the average salary of a female footballer is around €15,000 per year, compared to €1.5 million for a male footballer.

Lehmann's comments have been praised by many in the football community. FIFA President Gianni Infantino said he "fully supports" Lehmann's call for equal pay for male and female players.

"We need to do more to address the gender pay gap in football," Infantino said. "We need to ensure that female players are treated equally to male players, both on and off the pitch."

The gender pay gap in football is a complex issue with no easy solutions. However, Lehmann's comments have helped to raise awareness of the issue and put pressure on football's governing bodies to take action.