“Competition, nothing but competition”. Unresolved tensions with the Federation over bonuses should not influence England’s entry into the 2023 World Cup, European champions captain Millie Bright said on Friday.
The World Cup interrupted negotiations between the Federation and the Lionesses, who want to review their salaries, in a context of the fight for equal pay which is shaking women’s football. “It’s not a situation in which we wanted to find ourselves,” admitted the Chelsea defender from Brisbane, on the eve of facing Haiti (11:30 am). “All this now is on hold, we will talk about it later. We are here for the competition, and only for the competition”, she insisted.
In the wake of Euro 2022 won at home, England enter the tournament with the ambition of winning a first star. “The pressure is still on England,” said coach Sarina Wiegman. “We doubled all the positions and that gives us, in management, a real headache,” she continued. The Dutch technician has confirmed that Bright is available to play the meeting, despite uncertainties about his form. The captain has not played in competition again since a knee injury against Lyon in the quarter-final first leg of the Champions League in March. After Haiti, England will face Denmark then China.