Only three women lead world associations, and Austria’s female presidents are also rare. Spain’s new team boss is a blatantly miscast person.
Woman versus man, this comparison extends far beyond any sports field. While some Austrians continue to turn up their noses and question achievements, for example in football and especially on World Cup ski slopes, such perception problems no longer arise in other countries. There is equality and profit with “equal pay”. And yet, women are still in the minority in leading positions, whether in clubs, associations or in politics and business.
Austria largely fulfills the cliché with older, politically connoted officials. A prime example is the ÖFB football association, where there are no women on the executive board. A female president of the ÖOC, the Austrian Olympic Committee, is also long overdue and if the election is successful despite the fuss over a criminal complaint on suspicion of infidelity on Friday, there may be two vice-presidents: Sonja Spender (athletics) and Elisabeth Max-Theurer (equestrian sports).
Roswitha Stadlober heads the ski association, Brigitte Annerl and Diana Langes-Swarovski head the Hartberg and WSG Tirol football clubs, respectively. The Norwegian Lise Klaveness also appeared eloquently; the head of the “Norges Fotballforbund” took on Fifa boss Gianni Infantino on the Qatar issue. There are other, but rare, examples. Anyone who believes that Austria is backwards is not wrong – and is still wrong. There are only three women in the world at the top of international sports associations: Annika Sörenstam (golf), Petra Sorilng (table tennis) and Marisol Casado (triathlon).
The world football association remained silent for a long time in the Spanish kissing scandal surrounding association president Luis Rubiales, who only resigned after pressure. This affair is now a chapter richer – thanks to one of the few female team bosses. At the World Cup, only twelve of the 32 teams relied on a woman (Austria relied on Irene Fuhrmann), and the newly appointed Montse Tomé caused an affront with her first official act. She called up 15 world champions for the Nations League, but not Rubiales victim Jennifer Hermoso. So the Spaniards continue to strike.
Incompatibility and tact are foreign words, and not just in Austria. Why? Tomé is considered Rubiales’ confidant. And at this point, when it comes to wrong appointments, the gender question doesn’t play a role.
E-Mails an: markku.datler@diepresse.com
2023-09-20 11:07:14
#equality #executive #suite #sports
