David Ginola has discussed the idea of a combined World Cup…
David Ginola last week emerged as a shock candidate to challenge Sepp Blatter for the Fifa presidency, expressing his desire to bring the football globe together, and in one of his first ideas has spoken of his desire to combine the men and women’s World Cup, reports the BBC.
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The former Tottenham attacker believes such an idea would take the World Cup and women’s football to a much higher level, and would be “one global spectacular”.
Ginola has used the success of the Olympics as an inspiration for the idea to combine genders at the world football tournament, highlighting how important the athletic competition is in helping to address gender discrimination in a positive manner.
Women’s football has struggled to gain the deserved recognition, and the 47-year-old believes this isn’t good enough:
“Despite talented players, dedicated fans and far-reaching interest around the sport, women’s football continues to be limited by both attitudinal and financial discrimination. In this day and age, it’s just not good enough,” he said.
While the concept of a combined World Cup may be considered farfetched by many in football – the Olympic model illustrates the success of a combined sporting event. Tennis is a further example of a sport that celebrates the world-class talent of both men and women in one competition.
“One of the key ways we’ll make a difference is by adopting the Olympic model that sees all athletes compete under one banner, in one country, during one timeframe”, the former France international continued.
With Republic of Ireland’s Stephanie Roche’s outstanding volley finishing second only to James Rodriguez of Real Madrid for the Ballon d’Or Puskas award, women’s football has caught the eye in recent weeks.
As one of the most popular sports in the world, football has the ability to challenge gender discrimination – and perhaps Ginola’s hypothesis should be listened to.