00:00The Colombian national team won another continental title this year.
00:03And we celebrated for the tricolor flag again for the first time since 2001,
00:06when the men won the Copa América.
00:08This time we celebrate the Conmebol Nations League.
00:11However, within months, we went from that noise to a silent return
00:14of the Betplay Women's League quadrangulars.
00:17And there is a contradiction there that is worth understanding.
00:19Why has Colombian women's football not been given the importance it deserves?
00:23despite the fact that he has proven to be successful?
00:25There has been a professional women's league in Colombia since 2017.
00:28Eight years later, we already have a women's Libertadores title.
00:32in addition to five runner-up finishes.
00:34We have also been prominent players in national team tournaments for several years.
00:37And in fact, in the last Senior World Cup, we were the best South American team.
00:41Talent was never the problem.
00:43The problem lies more in the structure.
00:44Colfoot Pro, the union that represents the country's professional footballers,
00:49Last year he presented a report on what the 2025 season was like.
00:52And although he acknowledged progress such as the fact that there were more matches,
00:55longer contracts and better training conditions overall,
00:58It also raised several alarms.
01:00For example, the regulations allow up to 30 players to be registered per team,
01:03but it only requires an employment contract for 15.
01:05And five clubs remained right at that minimum.
01:07In other words, some teams can have up to 30 players on their roster.
01:11but professionally they are only required to hire half.
01:13The schedule was also announced as extended,
01:15But in practice there were more than 40 days without competition.
01:18something that broke with the sporting and professional continuity of the female footballers.
01:21This year it also happened, although it is partly understandable because there was a World Cup for Averages.
01:24Of course, it's noteworthy that no phase of the men's calendar was interrupted.
01:29While in the women's competition, six weeks passed between dates 13 and 14.
01:33And if we go back to last season, there are even more difficult examples to justify.
01:37The Call Food Pro documented cases in which clubs terminated contracts
01:40on the same day that the players were eliminated.
01:43Therefore, the employment relationship depended exclusively on the sporting result.
01:47There were also back wages and severance payments.
01:49We had clubs that ended up owing two months' salary, like Deportivo Cali,
01:53who despite that ended up becoming champion.
01:55The problem also arose when the female soccer players needed support the most.
01:58At Deportivo Pasto, four players have serious injuries.
02:01They were disenrolled from the health system and transferred to the subsidized regime.
02:04At Alianza Fútbol Club, 24 footballers ended up sharing just three rooms during the competition.
02:10These situations show that precarity is not just a discussion about how long a league lasted.
02:15It directly affects living and working conditions.
02:17Aco's conclusion about football is harsh.
02:19The league continues to be marked by structural discrimination.
02:21Professionalization, they say, cannot be partial or disguised.
02:25For the association, it is not enough to simply increase the number of matches played or improve some facilities.
02:28if there are still contracts that depend on results,
02:31salary defaults and footballers left without protection precisely when they suffer an injury.
02:36And this is where we come in, because there is something that does depend on the public: the ratings.
02:40It sounds like a smaller size, but it isn't.
02:41In Spain, Dazón almost gave up on buying the rights to the women's league.
02:45And that's against Barcelona, the best team in the world.
02:47If even the strongest women's football in Europe isn't spared from this indifference, imagine what it costs to sustain the
02:52new.
02:52That's why, during the quadrangular tournament, watching the games, commenting on them, and sharing them is a real way to show support.
02:58It doesn't change contracts or pay back wages, but it does build an audience.
03:02which then forces the clubs and the higher authority to take seriously what the female footballers wear.
03:06years of asking.
03:07Colombia has already shown that it can be a champion.
03:09Now women's football needs to stop relying solely on sacrifices and start relying on a structured foundation.
03:14Until that happens, there is a task that begins at home.
03:17Tune in, watch, and don't let these home runs go unnoticed.
03:20And if this is the reality in the country's most popular sport, with continental titles and a star in
03:24the chest,
03:25We need to ask ourselves what happens in other team sports such as basketball or women's bowling,
03:29who don't even receive a fraction of this attention.
03:32To learn more about this and other current sports topics,
03:35Don't forget to follow the headquarters, the sports section of El Espectador,
03:38and keep an eye on our social media.
03:48Thanks for watching the video.
