Soccer-Colombian players' union slams club for discrimination

Colombia's players' union has criticised Independiente de Santa Fe for reducing their male players’ salaries by 50% while suspending the contracts of the women’s team players. The Bogota club said they would pay partial salaries to the men while the women’s contracts were "suspended by mutual agreement". The club said it would pay the women an undisclosed amount of expenses to help cover vital costs.

Yet the Colombian Association of Professional Footballers (Acolfutpro) rejected the agreement, calling it "absolutely discriminatory". "This decision violates the condition of female footballers, who must be respected and granted the same rights as male footballers," Acolfutpro said, stating the men were getting 50% of their salary.

The association previously slammed Santa Fe for polling fans on whether or not to reduce players’ wages. More than 17,000 fans voted, with 62% agreeing the players should take a pay cut. The men’s team were third in the Colombian Apertura league when it was halted last month due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The women’s team were top of their group, one of five, in the women’s competition. (Editing by Toby Davis)