With just under a month to go before the start of the Serie A Calcio Femminile, the players of Sampdoria Women have penned an open letter urging the club’s owners to provide direction on their future. Within a month, the club has withdrawn from women’s football, while apparently registering the team for the Serie A league but is still not calling players into training for pre-season.
Positive scenes from the Women’s World Cup give hope that women’s football is finally doing well on the grand stage, as the game continues to see an unprecedented growth that breathes hope into the movement every day. However, this has also been a week that has seen FIFA president Gianni Infantino heavily criticized for his patronising comments, telling them to “Pick the right battles. You have the power to change. You have the power to convince us men what we have to do and what we don’t have to do. Just do it. With men, with Fifa, you’ll find open doors. Just push the doors.” In light of this, perhaps the story of Sampdoria Women is one that provides a picture of the reality that women in the game still face every day.
With just under one month to go before Serie A Calcio Femminile starts in Italy, the players of Sampdoria Women are living in a cloud of uncertainty as to where their future lies. In a span of a month, the club has made contrasting moves while seemingly offering zero transparency or direction to the players. Last July it announced the disbandment of the women’s team citing financial troubles. It is understood this came at a surprise to the team who appeared to have been under the impression that they would be playing in the Serie A next season. However, in an apparent u-turn, the team found out that Sampdoria Women was regularly registered to play in Serie A Calcio Femminile, sending even more confusion across the player camp and the staff members.
Following this, players have formally penned an open letter requesting transparency and direction from the club’s owners Andrea Radrizziani and Matteo Manfredi.
Details On How the Situation Played Out
Club Withdraws from Women’s Football in July
Mid-July saw the Italian club announce the disbandment of the women’s team with the following press release:
“UC Sampdoria announces its withdrawal from professional women’s football. Sampdoria will return to investing in women’s football, which will be a cornerstone for future social projects within the city. The club will be present in schools to promote the integration of girls in football with complete inclusion and without prejudice.
Unfortunately, the economic situation inherited [by the new ownership] and the excessive costs of running a professional women’s team in Serie A do not allow us to continue at this time. This is also a decision taken out of respect for Sampdoria‘s creditors and employees who have made a number of sacrifices in recent months and continue to do so in order to ensure the future of the club.”
It is understood that the news came at a shock for the women’s team, who amid media speculation were still under the impression that they would be competing in Serie A next season. However, Italian media outlets had been warning that the days of the women’s team could be numbered following the change in ownership. The press release announcing the team’s disbandment confirmed the rumours.
Sampdoria had been subject to a change in ownership which saw former Leeds United owner Andrea Radrizziani take over the club from former patron Massimo Ferrero. Season 2022/23 was a difficult one for Sampdoria both on and off the pitch. Off the pitch the club was embroiled in financial troubles. On the pitch, it saw the men’s team relegated to Serie B. Meanwhile, the women’s team managed fight off their relegation battle to ensure their stay at the top of the Italian football pyramid in Serie A Calcio Femminile.
In the weeks that followed, Radrizziani appointed none other than former Juventus coach Andrea Pirlo to steer the men’s team back to Serie A. The club also dipped into the transfer market to recruit a number of players including Filip Stankovic, Daniele Ghiraldi and Estanis Pedrola, in effort to strengthen the team to fight for promotion. In contrast, the club simultaneously released the above announcement that it would be ceasing to compete in women’s professional football.
Team Registered for Serie A Calcio Femminile
Matters became even more complicated when it transpired that the team was regularly registered to play in Serie A Calcio Femminile. It led to a joint statement was released by the Sampdoria Women players, the players’ association and the coaches’ association:
“The players now registered with UC SAMPDORIA Spa, the Italian Footballers’ Association and the Italian Football Coaches’ Association express their strong concern about the situation of the first women’s team, now regularly registered in the Serie A championship, and of the entire women’s youth sector.
The eBay Women’s Serie A championship will begin in just over a month and, despite the requests also received from the highest football institutions, the Ligurian club has not yet taken steps to summon the athletes and coaches for the start of pre-season preparation. nor has it taken steps to organize youth and grassroots activities in the same sector.
This situation will bring with it serious consequences both on the health of the athletes and on the regularity of the sporting season now upon us; the serious delay in organizing the training sessions in preparation for the start of the Championship will, in fact, expose the players to a greater risk of injury and will jeopardize the good work of the technical staff who will be in charge of leading the first team.
The hope and wish of all is to see the squad of the first team and the technical staff called up as soon as possible for the start of pre-season preparation, without further delay and delay, in order to allow them to honor with the usual commitment the blucerchiati shirt and colours”.
The Players registered for US Sampdoria Spa
Avv. Umberto Calcagno
President of AIC Prof. Renzo Ulivieri, AIAC President
An Open Letter
As time continued to expire toward the start of the league, players have now penned the open letter urging direction. It is unclear what Sampdoria’s owners will do next. However, noting the above, one thing’s for sure, one questions the reason that these women need to push any doors at all when they did their job on the pitch when it mattered.
For more football related articles, click here.
Follow Sporting Her on social media: Instagram // Twitter // Facebook
