Players in the men's football team deserve to get more recognition than their female counterparts in Sweden and people should stop whipping up a gender storm about it, striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic said.

The Sweden captain spoke out after his country's FA was slammed for presenting midfielder Anders Svensson with a new Volvo for breaking Thomas Ravelli's record of 143 international caps.

However, when women's midfielder Therese Sjogran failed to get similar recognition at the same soccer gala despite earning a record 187 caps, the move was widely criticised.

'With all respect for what the ladies have done, and they've done it fantastically well, you can't compare men's and women's football.

'Give it up, it's not even funny,' the Paris Saint Germain striker said in an interview with the Expressen newspaper published on Wednesday.

'When I come out in Europe they compare me to (Lionel) Messi and (Cristiano) Ronaldo. When I come home they compare me to a female player.

'With all respect for the ladies, they should be rewarded in relation to what they generate (financially).

'I was asked (by Swedish media) in the summer who was the better player, me or (Sweden striker) Lotta Schelin.

'You're joking with me, right? When I've broken all these records, this goal record, the goals in the national team, who shall I compare it to? Shall I compare it to whoever has the record, or the ladies?'

He's right. Men's football is on a whole other level compared to women's. Plus it doesn't make much sense comparing male and female athletes because we are physically different.

Winter is Coming wrote:
'Give it up, it's not even funny,' the Paris Saint Germain striker said in an interview with the Expressen newspaper published on Wednesday.

'When I come out in Europe they compare me to (Lionel) Messi and (Cristiano) Ronaldo. When I come home they compare me to a female player.

'With all respect for the ladies, they should be rewarded in relation to what they generate (financially).

'I was asked (by Swedish media) in the summer who was the better player, me or (Sweden striker) Lotta Schelin.

'You're joking with me, right? When I've broken all these records, this goal record, the goals in the national team, who shall I compare it to? Shall I compare it to whoever has the record, or the ladies?'

LMFAO!!

LEGEND

There is one good point among a tirade of bs.

Men's football generate magnitudes of money more than Women's football. Therefore, male football players deserve to get rewarded mores so than female football players.

However, outside of the financial recognition, female players should get the same honorary recognition male players get, even if they get it with less attention.

Also, it is ridiculous comparing male and female players directly. Simply put, they play at completely different levels.

Finally, while this is in character with Ibra, the way his statements are phrased is particularly stupid, and it might very well bite him in the ass.

LMFAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO


Ibra

Looks like Ibra is butthurt as the Swedish Ladies qualified for all World Cups and Euros so far, while the Swedish guys had/have to watch the last World Cups at home in front of the TV or didn't go past the group stage in the Euros. ^^

Tbf if I had his talent and his money I don't think I could actually be butthurt about anything.

Tomwin Lannister wrote:Tbf if I had his talent and his money I don't think I could actually be butthurt about anything.

I think not being able to play in the World Cup would rankle his ego because of his talent. No amount of money can buy that for him after all.

Highly doubt Ibra would be envious of the Sweden's women team considering he and most of the country won't even be bothered by the event. He's the last person who would be as evidenced by him the single only shining light vs Portugal and the group stages. He has no more to prove.

As for what he say's; spot on.

You misunderstood my point. I don't think he is *envious* of the Swedish ladies - but I think that right now he is really annoyed that he can't play in the World Cup (remember "A World Cup without me is not worth watching"? - http://www.theguardian.com/football/2013/nov/20/zlatan-ibrahimovic-world-cup-not-worth-watching-without-me ) and I'm sure he smolders at the injustice of it.

So I really don't see him envious there, rather annoyed, and I doubt he'd even have noticed the Swedish ladies playing football in the first place if he'd go to his proper place, that is, the World Cup, as then the focus would still be 100% on him, no matter what anybody else does with a football.

He is spot on. Wtf comparing him to the women top scorer?

M99 wrote:He is spot on. Wtf comparing him to the women top scorer?

Complain to the reporters who love to ask stupid questions. Although this seems to be particularly weird in football - I don't rememver anyone asking Aksel Lund Svindal whether he considers himself the better skier or Lindsey Vonn, or Usain Bolt whether he's the better runner or Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce...

The money and the competition are completely different between men and women's footy... that's what he's getting at. It's not like tennis where both the men and women's competitions are equally competitive and equally as hard to win.

I love tennis and i prefer women't tennis now tbh. There's more tactical variety. In men's tennis, everyone's playing the same game other than Federer.

Well, at least in Germany, women's football was majorly disadvantaged when the DFB decided to forbid the football clubs to offer football for women. This prohibition was only revoked in 1970.

From the beginning, men tried to undermine women's football - in the 1920es sport was forbidden for women as the men feared the women could become less feminine and docile and during WWII it was frowned upon because it was feared that women might prefer to do sports instead of bearing fresh cannon fodder, er children.

Only in 1982, the first official international friendly match of a German women NT was allowed to take place - against Switzerland.

If men's football started in earnest only in the 1980es and 1990es, you wouldn't see it as advanced as it is today either.

Mind you, the men's Bundesliga was founded in 1963 - and the women's Bundesliga only started in 1990. So the guys have several decades head start in everything, including proper marketing.

Well l guess he is technically correct, but he is being a jerk about it. And when people were comparing him to the women's player from his country, l doubt they were being serious. They were probably just trying to stir up a fun conversation.. and see if he possibly knew anything about her or her style of play beyond the fact that she was a girl.

So, no you can't compare men and women's football... But womens football can be very entertaining and should get more attention and recognition than it currently does. lf more people paid attention, more women would be encouraged to play and the talent level would rise. l think currently the biggest reason the womens game is lacking as opposed to what it could be has more to do with the lack of encouragement women get to play the game, so there is less competition to get in and play at the highest level, more than it has to do with the limits of female's athletic abilities...

They cannot and should not be compared. It doesn't make sense.

And I enjoy watching Alex Morgan err I mean woman's football

I think this all stems from Lotta Schelin taking a dig at Ibra that she has won CLs with Lyon but he hasn't yet in his long career in an award ceremony in Sweden. He really had it in for her lmao

Some of what he says is true though. Lotta is quite lippy herself wouldn't be surprised if they started a media battle soon

It's ok saying 'Womans football 'should get' more recognition'

But, correct me if i'm wrong but the whole point of this is entertainment, no?

So if more people found it entertaining then they would indeed follow it. Why should people be obligated to follow and invest in a form of entertainment they don't like?

Tomwin Lannister wrote:It's ok saying 'Womans football 'should get' more recognition'

But, correct me if i'm wrong but the whole point of this is entertainment, no?

So if more people found it entertaining then they would indeed follow it. Why should people be obligated to follow and invest in a form of entertainment they don't like?

Nobody has to watch anything they don't want to, you're correct.. But l think the issue is that many discredit the womens game because it is simply that, women playing. Therefore it isnt of high enough quailty and not worth anyone's time, without actually watching and making that determination for themselves. So generally women are not encouraged by people to pursue a career in sports as men are. Even then, the women who do play are often scoffed at and commonly called lesbians, or not real women, and many other sexist, demeaning terms. Where as men are worshipped as heros and bred with the mentality that they can and should try to reach the highest levels of play. This is common not just in sports but for women in men dominated professions in general. Most women who want to pursue a career in football reach a glass ceiling around the teenage years where they find few reasonable opportunities or platforms to find success at the next level regardless of their talent level or skill.

if people had a more open mind l feel that would allow women more opportunity to pursue a footballing career rather than being a taboo, as it is now. lf that where to happen, and there was more competition between women, the talent level and quality of entertainment it would provide would rise. Despite all of that l believe it does offer more entertainment than most would lead others to believe it does and people go in with the predetermined belief that it sucks. And its just statements like the one lbra made which is essentially saying "pfftt, women will never be good at football, any little girls who want to grow up and play should just give up and not even try. Women playing football is not something that should ever be taken seriously" l just believe that mentality is a wrong one to have or spread about to others. So lf people aren't going to watch, thats fine, no one has to if they don't want too.. but at the very least don't go about degrading the integrity of the women's game or the talent levels of those who find success in it

Well, I'm glad that in Germany nowadays the acceptance for women football has risen quite a bit. (This year the sports team of the year award went to the guys from Bayern München, but the 2nd and 3rd places went to the Women NT who just won the Euro2013 and the women of VfL Wolfsburg who also managed to win the European football treble.)

The matches of the Women NT are always broadcast by the major broadcasting companies and the usually even have pretty good viewer ratings. Since this season, Eurosport even shows the top match of the women Bundesliga live on Saturday.

I guess it is not so surprising that Germany not only has a subscription for winning the Euros, but also managed to win the majority of the UEFA Cup / Champions League trophies so far. ^^

I think it is really sad that in many other countries, the women are still ridiculed when playing football, but hopefully times will change.

VendettaRed07 wrote:

Tomwin Lannister wrote:It's ok saying 'Womans football 'should get' more recognition'

But, correct me if i'm wrong but the whole point of this is entertainment, no?

So if more people found it entertaining then they would indeed follow it. Why should people be obligated to follow and invest in a form of entertainment they don't like?

Nobody has to watch anything they don't want to, you're correct.. But l think the issue is that many discredit the womens game because it is simply that, women playing. Therefore it isnt of high enough quailty and not worth anyone's time, without actually watching and making that determination for themselves. So generally women are not encouraged by people to pursue a career in sports as men are. Even then, the women who do play are often scoffed at and commonly called lesbians, or not real women, and many other sexist, demeaning terms. Where as men are worshipped as heros and bred with the mentality that they can and should try to reach the highest levels of play. This is common not just in sports but for women in men dominated professions in general. Most women who want to pursue a career in football reach a glass ceiling around the teenage years where they find few reasonable opportunities or platforms to find success at the next level regardless of their talent level or skill.

if people had a more open mind l feel that would allow women more opportunity to pursue a footballing career rather than being a taboo, as it is now. lf that where to happen, and there was more competition between women, the talent level and quality of entertainment it would provide would rise. Despite all of that l believe it does offer more entertainment than most would lead others to believe it does and people go in with the predetermined belief that it sucks. And its just statements like the one lbra made which is essentially saying "pfftt, women will never be good at football, any little girls who want to grow up and play should just give up and not even try. Women playing football is not something that should ever be taken seriously" l just believe that mentality is a wrong one to have or spread about to others. So lf people aren't going to watch, thats fine, no one has to if they don't want too.. but at the very least don't go about degrading the integrity of the women's game or the talent levels of those who find success in it

Almost resurrected the positive rep button for this post.

My sentiments exactly on this matter. Whole lotta chauvinists on this board.

VendettaRed07

McLewis

and a shout out to my home girl, rwo

Spoiler:

http://twitter.com/GeniusFootball/status/418258928359571457/photo/1