BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Spain’s female players have gone on strike to demand a higher minimum wage amid a nationwide reckoning with sexism in soccer. The strike comes with the nation immersed in the scandal caused by soccer federation president Luis Rubiales when he kissed a Spain player without her consent during the Aug. 20 Women’s World Cup awards ceremony in Sydney, Australia. The players’ unions believe that the widespread condemnation in Spain — and abroad — of Rubiales has provided an ideal scenario for players’ quest for a fairer deal. The league argues that potential new sponsors are being scared off by the scandal and that the strike will not help lure them into investing in the budding league.
