Australia’s women’s soccer team boycott sell-out US tour over pay – CNN

(CNN)Australia’s national women’s soccer team has canceled a sell-out tour of the U.S. amid a dispute over their pay, which the players say is so low it’s illegal.

The team, called the Matildas, have been negotiating for six months for a pay rise and improved benefits with Australia’s national football body, the Football Federation of Australia (FFA).

Kate Gill, a Matildas squad member and executive with the national player body, the Professional Footballers Association (PFA), said the Matildas had made the “difficult decision” to cancel the tour following the FFA’s continued refusal to meet their demands.

“It’s a tough decision for the girls to have to have made but it’s a necessary one and it’s about getting some respect from the FFA. They needed to put their foot down and there needed to be some action taken,” Gill said.

World Cup wonders

In June this year, the Matildas were the toast of the nation after a history-making performance the Australian men’s soccer team have never come close to — reaching the quarterfinals of the FIFA Women’s World Cup.