FIFA's women's coaching rule highlights systemic barriers in football governance
Original framing: “A seat on the bench isn’t enough: what Fifa’s new women’s football rule gets right (and wrong)” — The Conversation - Global
Women from lower-income backgrounds and the Global South are often excluded from sports leadership discussions, despite being disproportionately affected by institutional barriers. Their lived experiences offer critical insights into the limitations of current reforms.
FIFA's new rule on women's coaching is a symbolic gesture that fails to dismantle the deeper structural inequalities embedded in football institutions.
To achieve meaningful change, reforms must address the historical exclusion of women from leadership, incorporate cross-cultural and Indigenous perspectives, and prioritize the voices of marginalized communities. By integrating scientific evaluation, grassroots investment, and intersectional policy design, football can move beyond performative gestures toward systemic transformation. The success of women's football in the Global South offers a blueprint for how change can emerge from the bottom up, challenging the Eurocentric model of sports development.