TV presenter Lucy Zelic and former footballer Sally Shipard believe FIFA "needs to treat men and women equally by switching next year's women's World Cup from synthetic pitches to grass as the world's top female players threaten legal action against the governing body over claims of discrimination," according to David Polkinghorne of the CANBERRA TIMES. The pair were at Floriade on Sunday promoting the men's game, with Shipard "unveiled as one of four female ambassadors for January's Asian Cup, but they questioned whether FIFA was doing the same for the women's game." The last two women's players of the year, American Abby Wambach and German Nadine Angerer, are "among those pursuing legal action." Zelic and Shipard said that it was "hard to argue with that view, but that FIFA insisted it was a trial for future world cups." Zelic was "was outraged that the World Cup in Canada in June would be played on artificial pitches, but said she would take that back if FIFA announced the men's tournament in Russia in 2018 would be played on synthetic grounds as well" (CANBERRA TIMES, 9/28).
