Tribal Football

Danish Bayern striker calls equal pay talk in women’s game absurd

Svend Bertil Frandsen
Pernille Harder in action during the first group match at the Women's Euro against Sweden
Pernille Harder in action during the first group match at the Women's Euro against SwedenIPA Sport/ABACA / Abaca Press / Profimedia
Bayern Munichs Danish international striker, Pernille Harder, says its absurd to talk about equal pay for women at club level.

In recent years, the development of women's football has gained enormous momentum. FIFA, as well as UEFA, have invested part of the income from men's tournaments in making women's tournaments more attractive while a number of big European clubs have chosen to extend their financial support for their respective women's teams. 

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This has generally helped boost conditions and wages for women footballers. "But there is still a long way to go", says Harder to press agency  Ritzau.

"I've never claimed that I should earn as much as Ronaldo or Messi. That would be pointless, because it's never going to happen", says the Bayern Munich star.

She points to training pitches and ice baths as examples of where conditions differ widely for men's and women's teams.

"For me, the ultimate goal is that we get the same conditions and are prioritized in the same way in the clubs. But we don't need to talk about salaries, because it will take many, many years just to get anywhere near that."

Thanks to her status as one of the world's best players and her time at Wolfsburg, Chelsea and Bayern Munich, she has been able to put aside savings for several years. And depending on the individual's spending and lifestyle, this should be the norm, says Harder.

"We spend an insane amount of time and energy on our careers, which means that we may not have the time or energy to get an education or be equipped to get a job right after our football careers have come to an end."

"Therefore, we should be able to get a salary that allows you to put a little aside and not be stressed about the future when you stop playing" ends Harder.

Harder and the Danish national team will again be in action when their play their second group match against Germany on Tuesday.